Two Luzerne ex-judges ask for relief from civil suits

SCRANTON - Two former Luzerne County judges want to be dismissed as defendants in a series of civil lawsuits filed after a juvenile-justice scandal.

Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan face criminal charges that they took $2.8 million in kickbacks to place juvenile defendants in private detention centers. Now they're seeking judicial immunity from civil lawsuits filed on behalf of hundreds of youths they sentenced.

A federal judge in Scranton heard arguments yesterday but did not immediately issue a decision. - AP