Court: Keep cleared juveniles' files

ALLENTOWN - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court yesterday ordered the preservation of court records of juveniles who are suing a corrupt Luzerne County Court judge.

Previously, when it overturned the convictions of youths who appeared in former Judge Mark Ciavarella's courtroom, the court said the records should be destroyed, prompting complaints from attorneys for the juveniles.

The attorneys said loss of the records could imperil the youths' ability to recover damages from the judge and others implicated in the corruption scandal.

Yesterday's order covers the records of about 400 youths who have sued the judge. It doesn't cover youths who aren't part of the litigation but who may be entitled to damages if the case is certified a class action. Attorneys want those records preserved, too.

Ciavarella was charged this year with taking millions of dollars to put juvenile offenders in privately owned detention centers, tainting up to 6,500 convictions. In February, he and another judge pleaded guilty to fraud and face more than seven years in federal prison.