PA Supreme Court justice to be sworn in Tuesday

Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court will finally be up to its full complement of seven judges Tuesday with the swearing in of Correale Stevens, plucked from Superior Court.

Stevens, a Republican, was nominated by Governor Corbett to fill the seat vacated by former Justice Joan Orie Melvin, who was convicted on political corruption charges. Stevens has served on the Superior Court since 1997. He said the ceremony promises to be quite different from his last oath of office. All but one of the Supreme Court justices will attend.

“When I was sworn in as Superior Court judge, I just went with one of my friends on the county court, and we went to a senior citizens center near where I live and it was just us and the senior citizens and we just got sworn in with sandwiches and we played bingo with them,” Stevens said.

He has also served as a state representative in Luzerne County and as a district attorney. His term ends in January 2016. His ascension to the Supreme Court will allay the concerns of those who didn’t like seeing a seat remain empty on the bench for over a year. Chief Justice Ron Castille said it allowed for the possibility of split decisions, which he said offer no guidance.