He declared his hatred for the Pennsylvania and U.S. Supreme Courts.
He said the City Charter was full of "nonsense."
He openly disregarded rulings of the Commonwealth Court.
And he said, "I don't give a s- " about due process of law.
Common Pleas Judge Bernard J. Avellino has said and done all those things while in a unique position of hearing appeals from all city and some state regulatory agencies.
During the past year, he has issued a series of rulings whose broad implications have confounded and dismayed some city officials and community groups.
Avellino has limited the city's ability to levy taxes and restricted its ability to deal with neighborhood problems. He also has barred community groups and sometimes even the city from being heard in court.
In one decision last summer, Avellino blocked city inspectors from cracking down on go-go bars in residential neighborhoods, saying the city had no right to regulate such establishments.
Lawyers for the city appealed, contending that Avellino prejudged the case and that he announced his decision several weeks before legal arguments were presented to him.
In another case, Avellino ruled that a South Philadelphia VFW post could operate on Eastern Standard Time when the rest of the city went on daylight saving time - allowing an extra hour of drinking time on summer nights. That decision, objected the state Liquor Control Board, could lead to chaos for state police trying to enforce liquor laws if other bars around the state take advantage of the ruling.
In a third matter, Avellino told the city it had no right to appeal decisions of one of its independent review boards. The Board of License and Inspection Review had granted a building inspector permission to carry a gun on the job. The same board had allowed two newsstands to encroach on city sidewalks beyond legal limits.
The city appealed both decisions and was denied standing in Avellino's courtroom. He said the disputes should be settled by the mayor.
Deputy City Solicitor James B. Jordan said Avellino's ruling might cut off the city's right to appeal decisions of the Tax Review Board, the Zoning Board and all other such city panels.
Whether Avellino is right or wrong in his recent rulings remains to be seen. Most are pending on appeal before the Commonwealth Court.
Avellino, 57, declined to be interviewed for this article, citing a personal policy of never speaking to the media.
