Philly judge among Guv's court picks

HARRISBURG - Gov. Rendell yesterday nominated three veteran judges and a former top aide to Gov. Tom Ridge in a deal with Republican senators to finally fill temporary vacancies on Pennsylvania's appellate courts.

Rendell's pick to fill an opening on the state Supreme Court is Jane Cutler Greenspan, a 20-year Philadelphia Common Pleas judge.

Greenspan, a Democrat who worked under Rendell when he was Philadelphia's district attorney, would become the second woman on the state's high court, and would also tip the balance of justices to four Democrats and three Republicans. A judge since 1987, she would succeed Ralph J. Cappy, the chief justice who stepped down in January.

A spokesman for the leader of the Senate's Republican majority, Dominic Pileggi of Delaware County, said he sees nothing to prevent the nominees from being confirmed by the end of June. GOP members rejected an earlier slate submitted by Rendell in a floor vote last month.

Republicans had complained that Rendell ignored their wishes when picking his first slate and that his choices lacked racial, gender and geographic diversity.

Rendell's chief of staff, Greg Fajt, said the administration and the Senate GOP settled the matter by splitting the four nominees: The Rendell administration picked two Democrats, while the Senate GOP picked two Republicans.

All four nominees, if confirmed by the Senate, would succeed judges who left before their terms were complete. The replacements are intended to serve until 2010, when permanent successors elected in 2009 are sworn in for 10-year terms.

Rendell also nominated Johnny J. Butler, a Philadelphia lawyer and a former Labor and Industry secretary in Ridge's Republican administration; and the president judges of McKean and Northampton counties to serve the next 18 months on state appellate courts.

Republican John Cleland, president judge of McKean County, and Democrat Robert Freedberg, president judge of Northampton County, would serve on Superior Court. Those vacancies were created by the election of two former judges on that court - Seamus McCaffery and Debra Todd - to the Supreme Court in November. *