Panepinto, a Republican who has twice run unsuccessfully for state Supreme Court, seeks a seat on Commonwealth Court, which hears challenges to state laws and appeals of decisions by state agencies.
In a coincidental twist, the primary comes a week after the state House approved abortion-clinic regulations that, if enacted, could face a legal challenge.
Panepinto, a 20-year veteran of the bench, did not return a phone call seeking comment about his website statement. Replying by e-mail to questions from the Inquirer Editorial Board, the judge wrote that he adhered to "the letter of the law" in every case. "At no time did I become influenced by popular opinion or outside pressure. This has been demonstrated throughout my career."
Lynn Marks, executive director of the advocacy group Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, said Panepinto's website underscored the tension between the need for judicial impartiality and a candidate's First Amendment rights. Those rights were upheld - and the limits on judicial candidates' comments relaxed - when the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Minnesota's similar limits in 2002.
Panepinto's online statement "does not cross the line of what a candidate can and can't do," Marks said, "but it does send a message."
The other Republican in that race is New Hope labor-relations lawyer Anne Covey, who has the state party's backing. Covey received the endorsement of LifePac, an antiabortion political action fund, but neither she nor the Democrats running for Commonwealth Court offer their abortion views on their websites.
Judges on the two courts play vital if little-known roles in determining cases of statewide importance.
