Official newsletter of the
Pennsylvania Judicial System

Issue 3, 2020

In this issue

Read about the recent kick-off of the new Autism and 
the Courts program, tips for remote interpreting, county 
court highlights and more.

1

top: Morgan Bathgate, Kate Hooven, Judge Jennifer Rogers       bottom: Mike Piecuch, Judge Kelly C. Wall, Justice Kevin M. Dougherty

Autism and 
the Courts

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Department of 
Human Services (DHS) kicked off their new “Autism and the 
Courts” initiative with a virtual statewide panel roundtable 
on Nov. 17. 

The overall goal, Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty
Kevin Dougherty  
emphasized throughout the event, is for the Court and 
DHS to hear first-hand from not only their criminal justice 
partners and providers, but directly from individuals with 
an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), about the challenges 
faced in different regions across the state as they seek 
access to justice. 

The Court worked closely with DHS Bureau of Autism 
Services, Education, Resources and Training (ASERT) to 
assemble a passionate panel that was equally excited to 
open up about their own experiences as it was curious to 
learn more from the others. 

Moderated by Justice System Project Coordinator for 
ASERT Kate Hooven, the panel was made up of a state 
supreme court justice, two judges, a prosecutor and a 
young college student who shared some of her own 
experiences living with an ASD. Over 150 people attended 
the kick-off – all of whom seem very excited for the 
discussions to follow. 

Justice Dougherty opened the event explaining the 
inspiration behind this initiative. He spoke about his 
background as a family court judge in Philadelphia for 
15 years, and how one interaction with an individual with 
an ASD in his courtroom years ago ultimately led to the 
Court’s desire to explore this topic.  

Kelly Wall – both of whom have 

Common Pleas Judge Kelly Wall
served as the administrative judge of their county’s family 
court – shared insight they’ve gained from experiences 
with individuals with an ASD, both in and out of the 
courtroom. 

Speaking from her experience on the family court bench, 
Judge Rogers explained that just as there is no one-size-
fits-all description of autism, there is no one-size-fits-all 
approach when it comes to custody orders that involve a 
child with autism. 

She explained that while a judge may be inclined to treat 
each sibling the same, in families where a child has autism, 
the custody order should be uniquely tailored to help meet 
the specific concerns and needs of the child – even if that 
means establishing some non-traditional guidelines. 

Both judges explained how creative accommodations 
can be made when tailoring these custody orders to help 
smooth any home or family transition that a child with 
autism may be facing. 

One example given was a judge specifically asking the 
child’s therapist to work with the child on their definition of 
home (helping expand their idea of “home” to include both 
mom and dad’s house). This was especially helpful for the 
child in that particular situation because like many others 
with an ASD, any sudden changes in routine can be very 
distressing. 

This difficulty with handling any change in routine was 
actually one of the first things that panelist Morgan 
Bathgate had brought up in the beginning of the discussion 
when talking about some of the things that would be 
helpful for others to be aware of. 

Although Morgan herself has never been involved with 
the criminal justice system, by speaking about her own 
personal experiences living with an ASD, she was able to 
be a voice for others like her who unfortunately will come 
into contact with the courts at some point. 

The other judges on the panel, Luzerne County Common 
Pleas Judge Jennifer Rogers

 Jennifer Rogers and Montgomery County 

All of the panelists seemed to agree that perhaps the most 
important thing that must happen in any case where a 

2

defendant has an ASD is to make sure that ASD diagnosis, 
along with any other relevant behavioral or medical 
information, is known to the all parties in advance. 

The panel greatly benefitted from the perspective 
of Snyder County District Attorney Mike Piecuch. He 
emphasized that it is especially important to get any 
information about an ASD diagnosis in the hands of the 
prosecutor early – as that knowledge could very well 
change their approach, and potentially, the entire course 
of the case outcome. 

Piecuch reiterated throughout the discussion that 
accountability is a flexible concept. Of course no 
prosecutor would or should automatically dismiss any 
alleged crime strictly on the basis of an ASD diagnosis, 
however they will need to take those factors into 
consideration and examine what it is that the defendant is 
actually accountable for in certain circumstances. 

He explained that if the goal of our criminal justice system 
is to reduce recidivism, then it is in every party’s best 
interest – including the prosecutors’ – to ensure we aren’t 
unknowingly locking up someone with mental health 
issues, rather than getting them the care and treatment 
they need. 

As each judge on the panel said – they are only as good 
as the information they have. A portion of the Q & A 
section at the end focused on answering the question, 
what is the best way to ensure that information gets to the 
judge beforehand? 

Judge Wall explained that one of the more difficult 
situations a judge might find themselves in is having 
someone in front of them who has not been formally 
diagnosed, but exhibits many behaviors consistent with an 
ASD diagnosis. 

Out of the hour-and-a-half panel discussion came a lot of 
ideas for how courts can accommodate individuals if they 
recognize certain behaviors in a witness, juror, defendant, 
etc. consistent with an ASD diagnosis. 

The next part of the initiative aims to narrow this broader 
statewide conversation taking place into targeted, regional 
discussions about specific challenges in those areas. The 
first regional forum will be held virtually on Jan. 26. 

To watch the full panel discussion, or for more details 
about this initiative, visit our new Autism in the Courts 
webpage. 

Possible behavior/ 
trigger for an  
individual with autism  

Over-sensitivity to touch or sound 

of a gavel 

Extreme discomfort with any change in routine

Anxiety arising out of a need to know “why?”  

Instinct to takes things very literally 

Inability to maintain eye contact 

Constant fidgeting/unwillingness  
to stay seated 

Potential consideration for court 

•	 Try to avoid sudden loud noises – like the banging  

•	 Adjust the lighting in the room (the buzzing of 

fluorescent lights can be distracting) 

•	 Remove handcuffs
•	 Familiarize the individual with the courtroom setting  

and processes beforehand 

•	 Clearly explain the reasons for the current situation  
(this could mean taking extra time to lay out the case 
details and laws that may have been broken) 

•	 Avoid sarcasm 
•	 Try not to use euphemisms or other forms of  
figurative language that might rely on certain  
social cues to decipher 

•	 Don’t immediately interpret a defendant’s refusal to 
make or hold eye contact as a sign of disrespect 

•	 Ask if they have a comfort object, or animal, that  

they would like to have with them in the courtroom 
(fidget spinner, weighted blanket, etc.) 

3

Superior Court holds 
first-ever CLE program

At the end of September, the Pennsylvania Superior Court 
for the first time organized and held its own Continuing 
Legal Education (CLE) program – which was offered free of 
charge to over 100 attorneys who attended virtually. 

Pennsylvania attorneys need to satisfy 12 CLE credits each 
year to maintain their license to practice. The attorneys 
who work for the Superior Court include judicial law clerks, 
central legal staff and attorneys in the Prothonotary’s Office 
– all of whom usually must sign up for various CLE programs 
around the state.   

detailed overview of judicial recusals – how they are raised, 
how trial courts address recusal and the current status of 
the law. 

Maria McLaughlin presented “Serial 

Later in the afternoon session, Superior Court PJE Correale 
Correale 
Stevens
Stevens and Judge Maria McLaughlin
Killers and How to Handle the Sensationalized Case.” The 
judges discussed the unique characteristics of serial killers, 
potential forensic psychology/evidentiary issues and the 
challenges courts face in handling the attention that comes 
with high-profile cases. 

This year – in deviation from most other things in 2020 – 
that process was made a bit easier for them. 

After first having the idea for such a program a few months 
prior, President Judge Jack Panella
Debbie Kunselman
Debbie Kunselman to chair it. Together they worked closely 
with Chief CLE Counsel Philp Yoon
Peter Johnson. 
Coordinator Peter Johnson

Jack Panella later asked Judge 

Philp Yoon and Legal Systems 

Carolyn 
In the program’s first section, Superior Court Judge Carolyn 
Nichols, along with two experienced attorneys, provided a 
Nichols

“By doing it this way, we were able to save our attorneys 
a lot of time by providing the opportunity to complete four 
substantive credits in one day. It also wound up being a cost 
savings because the cost of running the all-day CLE event 
was substantially less than individual reimbursements,”  
PJ Panella said. 

PJ Panella said that this year served as a very successful 
trial run of the program and that next year they hope to 
hold a similar program where they can invite attorneys who 
work for the other appellate courts. 

New court data now available

Earlier this fall, the interactive data dashboards were updated to reflect verified 2019 statewide caseload stats. For anyone 
interested in a quick look at statewide or county court data, these dashboards can be a helpful tool. 

Also released this fall was the 2018 Annual Report, providing an organizational overview of the AOPC and statewide court 
programs, data and operations. With the recent release of 2019 court data, AOPC/Communications is now in the process 
of completing the 2019 Annual Report, which is targeted to be released in the spring.

section of Adult Drug Court Data dashboard

page from AOPC Annual Report 2018

4

5

Lifting employee spirits in 
the Franklin/Fulton Courts 

Shawn Meyers made it clear to all court employees in 

From the very onset of the pandemic, Franklin/Fulton Counties’ 
President Judge Shawn Meyers
Franklin and Fulton Counties that his focus extended beyond their safety 
to a concern for their overall well-being, given the personal challenges 
that many were now facing.  

Two days after issuing the first Judicial Emergency Order Declaration 
on March 18, PJ Meyers issued his first memorandum (now totaling more 
than 30 memos) to all court employees entitled A Word of Thanks. 

In it, he offered a genuine, heartfelt message of appreciation and 
referred to employees as “top notch, hardworking and committed to 
tasks, while recognizing challenging days ahead.”  

“Over the next many months ahead and through present day, PJ Meyers 
has continued to balance all things COVID-related with continued 
employee engagement through almost weekly communications, while 
juggling administrative responsibilities and a continued presence of 
presiding over a plethora of legal matters that are scheduled daily,”  
Mark Singer, Franklin/Fulton district court administrator said.
Mark Singer

Several months into the pandemic, the PJ had another idea for a way 
to engage court employees – this time in the form of some friendly and 
creative competition. 

All court-supervised employees were encouraged to participate in a 
mask decorating contest by submitting their own design entry and/or 
voting on their coworkers’ entries. 

In total, 40 entries were received and the PJ announced the winners in 
September. 

Proof of the contest’s success -- employees are still talking about the 
contest and how it lifted their spirits and morale.

design by Tammy Smith

design by Wendy Rinker

design by Shelva Eck

Lights. Camera.  
Action.

Franklin/Fulton County Courts held their first jury trial 
from inside the Chambersburg Capitol Theatre in 
October. A makeshift bench and counsel tables were 
set up on the stage in the large auditorium where juror 
candidates were able to space out in the audience. 
The process began with jury selection and right after 
the jury was picked, they rolled right into hearing the 
five-day trial.  

6

Virtual Language Access Summit 

With the expanding need for virtual 
hearings, many judicial districts 
are trying to find the best way 
to successfully conduct remote 
proceedings when the use of an 
interpreter may be required.

AOPC Language Access staff Mary Mary 
Chase Emanuel addressed 
Vilter and Chase Emanuel
Vilter 
this latest issue facing courts among 

others during the 3rd annual (and 1st 
virtual) Language Access Coordinator 
(LAC) Summit. 

Presented as a series of WebEx 
sessions over a four-week period (Oct. 
27-Nov. 19), this year’s LAC Summit 
covered four timely topics – Language 
Access Data Collection (LADC), 
Working with Interpreters, Translation 

and Services Beyond the Courtroom 
and Remote Interpreting Platforms.

Judges or court staff who are 
interested in learning about these 
interpreter features and already have 
a preferred virtual platform can skip 
to the timeframe referenced below for 
that section’s tutorial.

Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
Allegheny County  
Interpreter Greg Sykes
Greg Sykes
skip to minute 04:00

BlueJeans
BlueJeans
Bucks County  
Erika Froehlich
LAC Erika Froehlich
skip to minute 32:45

ZoomZoom
York County  
PJ Joseph Adams
Kenluis Olivo
LAC Kenluis Olivo
skip to minute 53:10

Joseph Adams and 

from top left: Natalia Petrova, Chase Emanuel, Osvaldo Aviles, Mary Vilter

Interpreter Program collaborates 
with Penn State for outreach  

At the end of September, AOPC’s 
Interpreter Certification Program (ICP) 
held a successful virtual recruitment 
session with Penn State University 
students and faculty, and other 
potential candidates in the Centre 
County community. 

and literacy council with the idea to 
collaborate. 

With the Penn State team distributing 
flyers and handling registration, the 
webinar was well-attended with over 
30 interested candidates.

The outreach effort was spearheaded 
by Centre County Magisterial District 
Judge Donald Hahn
Donald Hahn, who first reached 
out to Penn State, as well as to a local 
Asian American community association 

Many of the participants immediately 
expressed their interest in becoming 
court interpreters to Natalia Petrova
Natalia Petrova 
Chase Emanuel – who led the 
and Chase Emanuel 
virtual session. 

7

Two weeks later, the ICP held their 
fourth and final orientation of 2020 
– where they were pleased to see a 
lot of those familiar faces among the 
nearly 20 attendees. 

The General Assembly wrapped up its work for the 2020-21 session, including finalizing the fiscal year budget. A push by 
a small segment of House Republicans urging the governor to call the General Assembly into session to address those 
members’ concerns about the 2020 presidential election is underway, but the governor is highly unlikely to take such 
a step. Absent such an action, the legislature will not return until January.  

2487 – passed both chambers unanimously in light of the 
fiscal crisis facing Pennsylvania because of the COVID-19 
pandemic. The act was effective on October 16.

Expungement and Clean Slate 
xpungement and Clean Slate 

 E

Act 83 expands the expungement statute to include 
judicial determinations of full acquittals, and the clean 
slate limited access provisions to include pardons. The act 
requires that restitution and automation fees are fully paid 
before a defendant is eligible for either limited access or 
clean slate limited access. The act becomes effective on 
December 28, 2020.

Veterans and commerce courts
Veterans and commerce courts

Senate Bill 976 was signed into law as Act 111. The 
act specifically lists veterans courts within the current 
law governing problem solving courts, and allows for 
participation by out-of-county defendants in established 
veterans courts and for the establishment of multi-county 
veterans courts. It also permits the use of veterans tracks 
– programs within other treatment courts that utilize 
components of a veterans court such as treatment and 
mentors in judicial districts that otherwise do not have 
the population and/or resources to sustain a full veterans 
court. While the underlying bill was being considered in 
the House, it was amended with the provisions of HB 332, 
a bill that allows the Superior Court and courts of common 
pleas to establish commerce court programs. The act 
becomes effective on January 4, 2021. 

8

The legislature completed the budget for 2020-21 
fiscal year by addressing the remaining seven months 
of spending provisions in the supplemental General 
Appropriations Act (SB 1350), or GAA, and the budget 
implementation language in the Fiscal Code (HB 
2536). The bills were signed by the governor as Acts 17A 
and 114, respectively, and were effective on November 24.

The acts result in flat funding for the judiciary, plus a 
“sweep” of $30 million from the Judicial Computer System 
Augmentation Account (JCSAA). In order to deal with a 
large deficit resulting from the ongoing pandemic, the final 
2020-21 budget relied on transfers from numerous special 
funds and the Rainy-Day Fund. This includes the $30 
million transfer from the JCSAA, as well as sweeps of other 
funds, including the Workers’ Compensation Security Fund, 
the Recycling Fund, several PENNVEST Funds and the 
Medical Marijuana Program Fund. 

n tandem with Act 1A passed earlier this year, which 
allocated funding for the first five months of the fiscal year, 
the supplemental GAA provides for level state funding 
generally across the board, including the judiciary line 
items totaling $355 million. 

  I

COLA suspension
COLA suspension

Act 79 precludes a cost of living adjustment in 2021 
of compensation for public officials in the executive, 
legislative and judicial branches. The underlying bill – HB 

Budget
Budget

Legislative roundup by Damian J. Wachter, Esq.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operating 
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operating 
FundFund

Act 93 of 2020 increases the costs that are deposited into 
the EMS Operating Fund imposed on traffic violations and 
admittance into ARD in DUI cases from $10 to $20, and $25 
to $50, respectively. The act also requires a review by the 
Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) of “court 
records to ensure that money for the [EMS] Operating 
Fund is being properly collected and deposited into the 
[fund].” The review must be completed in one year and 
must include recommendations on necessary remedial 
legislative action. The LBFC is required to examine 
records of the past five year of all courts required to levy 
costs under 75 Pa.C.S. §§ 3121 and 3807 (b)(1)(ix). The act 
becomes effective on February 26, 2021. 

Probation reform 
Probation reform 

Surprisingly, probation reform legislation did not make it 
across the finish line. House Bill 1555 and Senate Bill 14 
were similar probation reform proposals. Elements of the 
legislation included modification of probation conditions, 
parameters for total confinement upon revocation, 
probation review conferences and administrative probation 
for failure to pay restitution. The Senate unanimously 
passed SB 14 in the summer, but it died in the House 

Judiciary Committee. House Bill 1555 was reported from 
the House Judiciary Committee nearly a year ago, but it 
never moved beyond the first day of consideration in the 
House. 

Coming Up: 
Coming Up: 

With the close of the legislative session, all bills that were 
not signed into law will have to be reintroduced next 
session. The new legislature will be sworn in on January 5, 
2021, and the session will run until November 30, 2022. 

In the early days of session, the appellate court district 
elections joint resolution is likely to receive attention. The 
language must pass in identical form to HB 196. If approved 
by the House and Senate soon enough, a question could 
be on the ballot as early as the May municipal primary 
election. Enabling legislation would still have to be passed 
and signed by the governor to establish in law specific 
mechanisms for appellate district elections.
A second issue that could get an early look, especially in 
the Senate, is probation reform. All of the senators who 
advocated for the legislation are returning next year. 

Finally, the governor’s FY 21-22 budget will be proposed 
during the first week of February. The House and Senate 
will then convene hearings on the proposal.    

Subscribing to AOPConnected 

As part of our move to an entirely digital 
publication, there is now a button on 
the pacourts.us website that allows both 
court users and members of the public to 
subscribe to AOPConnected – in addition to 
press releases, appellate court opinions and 
other court resources.

AOPConnected has integrated into a 
mailing-subscription service that allows for 
this new feature, along with several others. 

Readers who currently receive this 
newsletter have been automatically 
subscribed and no action is required on 
their part.

9

NCSC Family Justice Initiative:  
New recommendations, 
webpages, resolution

The FJI team – taking into consideration 
adaptations courts made as a result of 
the pandemic – identified supplemental 
recommendations, which CCJ/COSCA 
endorsed in Resolution four in July. The new 
recommendations include:

•  Affording family cases the same prestige 

and respect as other court matters

•  Aggressively triaging cases as early as 

possible

•  Simplifying court procedures to allow self-
represented litigants to engage in the 
justice system and make sure they are 
treated fairly

•  Ensuring that self-help information and 

services are available both in person and 
remotely

•  Offering families a choice of dispute 

resolution options

•  Promoting the well-being of families 

through the life of their case as the primary 
desired case outcome

This content was reproduced as an excerpt 
from the National Center of State Courts 
(NCSC) newsletter – @ the Center. For related 
content or to view this article in its entirety, go 
to NCSC’s website.   

Despite presenting challenges to numerous 
court processes, the pandemic also afforded 
opportunities for courts to implement 
innovations that are making family courts 
more accessible, efficient, high priority – and 
less adversarial. The innovations are part of 
the CCJ/COSCA Family Justice Initiative (FJI), 
which is celebrating many milestones:   

•  CCJ/COSCA resolution – supports FJI’s 

bold, national recommendations

•  Online report – serves as a repository for 
courts that have effectively responded to 
the needs of families before, during and 
after the pandemic

•  Redesigned webpages – provides 

guidelines, recommendations and best 
practices 

The project’s first phase involved a national 
study of domestic relations case processing 
in urban courts; phase two included the 
development of national Principles for Family 
Justice Reform. Following CCJ’s approval of 
the Principles, project partners launched phase 
three to implement the Principles in four pilot 
jurisdictions: Miami-Dade, Florida; Cuyahoga 
County, Ohio; Pima County, Arizona; and 
King County, Washington. Some of the “silver 
linings” the sites identified include: 

• 

• 

• 

improved communication with parties 
as court staff walked parties through the 
processes remotely; 

improved scheduling options, giving parties 
autonomy to schedule their hearings 
online; and 

increased use of remote proceedings that 
resulted in improved appearance rates and 
party satisfaction.

10

You’ve got mail court
New CPCMS feature sends court date reminders via email 

@mail

in re: your case

In a statewide effort to help reduce the number of missed court appearances, AOPC/IT 
recently added a new “E Communications” feature to the Common Pleas Case Management 
System (CPCMS) – allowing all judicial districts the ability to send email reminders to 
participants in upcoming criminal cases.  

Similar functionality has been used in other state court systems where it’s been shown to 
increase compliance in court attendance and decrease the number of failure-to-appear 
warrants issued. 

Currently, electronic notifications will only be sent via email – however in the near future, the functionality will be 
enhanced to accommodate text messages. 

E Communications is available as a controlled rollout to any county court office that confirms their interest with AOPC. 

For more information please contact the CPCMS Help Desk.

PA participates in virtual adoption initiative roundtable 
The growing focus on kinship care 

Earlier this fall, Pennsylvania Supreme 
Max Baer and Office of 
Court Justice Max Baer
Children and Families in the Courts 
Director Sandy Moore
Sandy Moore spoke at the 
Health and Human Services (HHS) 
Region III Virtual Adoption Initiative 
Roundtable.

Leading the Pennsylvania panel 
focused on permanency and kinship, 
they spoke to over 40 members of 
the executive coordinating council 
adoption roundtable for Region III –
which encompasses Maryland, Virginia, 
West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania 
and District of Columbia. 

Justice Baer, speaking from his own 
experiences in dependency court, 
offered insight into how the discussion 
around kinship has evolved. He gave 
a down-to-earth assessment of where 
the courts used to stand, and where 
they need to go in terms of supporting 
and relying on kin. 

“There was this unthoughtful bias to 
some extent against grandparents, 
grandmothers in particular, Justice 
Baer said. 

“The argument that was once made to 
me in the early 90’s was that the apple 
doesn’t fall far from the tree – so if 

mom is dysfunctional, grandma is the 
one who raised her. Well that is wrong 
…that presumption that relatives are 
going to serve by the same malady 
is just fundamentally incorrect and 
wrong.” 

He explained why and how that 
thinking has changed over the last 
30 years. Like many other issues, as 
societal views began to change, so 
did many of the laws and policies 
surrounding dependency.  

Today in Pennsylvania, Justice Bear 
explained, every possible attempt is 
made to not remove a child from their 
home or family – and if that is not 
possible, then the placement focus 
shifts to finding a trusted loved one in 
the child’s community who will take 
care of them. 

“As soon as a child is in trouble and 
[OCFC] gets that call from the police 
or the hospital, we immediately start 
looking everywhere for kin. We look 
for the grandma, the aunt, the uncle… 
but we also look around for community 
kin. That’s the church member, the 
neighbor or the coach, who will take 
care of the child so they don’t have 
to leave their schools, or leave their 

11

siblings or their communities,” Justice 
Baer said. 

Sandy then spoke about the process 
they use to find those people 
explaining, “Our Family-Finding laws 
and process allow us to look for kin, 
including that community kin, to help 
create supportive networks around 
a child and that family…. We have to 
turn to our communities and bring 
them in to care for their children, and 
our experience in Pennsylvania is that 
when you reach out to these people, 
they are more than willing to be part 
of the solution for these children and 
families.  

“There are only a handful of states that 
require this practice and Pennsylvania, 
by comparison, probably has the most 
comprehensive Family Finding law in 
the country.”  

The passionate knowledge that Justice 
Baer and Sandy spoke with clearly 
reverberated with the roundtable 
members on the call, who can now 
share Pennsylvania’s approach to 
kinship with the courts and related 
dependency organizations in their 
states. 

Pennsylvania county courts 
celebrate Adoption Day

Westmoreland County 
Westmoreland County 

Victoria and Matthew Kuhn adopted 
Aiden, the foster child who had lived 
in their home for nearly three years.  
He joins a large, blended family, but 
only his mom and dad joined him for 
the hearing.

While they had to dial it back this 
year, Westmoreland County Courts 
were able to continue their tradition 
of celebrating National Adoption 
Day. 

On Fri. Nov. 13, the courts held 
ceremonies to finalize four 
adoptions for three, new happy 
families.

In place of their annual National 
Adoption Day Celebration and 
Luncheon, the courts and their 
partners at the Statewide Adoption 
Network (SWAN) decided to 
individualize efforts to meet each 
family’s needs this year. 

Westmoreland County Common 
Pleas Judges John Driscoll
Jim 
John Driscoll and Jim 
Silvis
Silvis made themselves available to 
finalize adoptions both virtually and 
in-person to suit those needs. 

The new families were provided 
gift baskets with books celebrating 
adoption, gift cards and 
personalized gifts from the child’s 
casework staff and Court-Appointed 
Special Advocate (CASA). 

Berks County 
Berks County 

Berks County Courts celebrated 
National Adoption Day on Nov. 11 
with a special ceremony overseeing 
the adoptions of five happy children 
whose foster families became their 
forever families. 

Berks County Common Pleas Judge 
James M. Bucci, with his passion for 
James M. Bucci

foster-care adoptions, presided over 
the ceremony. 

Since the courthouse was closed 
in observation of Veterans Day, 
families were able to safely attend 
their hearings together in-person, 
without the increased fear and risk 
of potential COVID exposure that 
would’ve been heightened on any 
other court day. 

Montgomery County 
Montgomery County

Although COVID derailed their 
initial in-person plans, Montgomery 
County Courts were still able to 
celebrate over Zoom, where they 
finalized the adoptions of five 
children. 

Montgomery County Orphans’ 
Court Administrator Ashley Kodet
Ashley Kodet 
described the happy day. 

“At the peak, we had 71 participants 
on the Zoom call and it was a really 
lovely celebration. Montgomery 
County Common Pleas Judge 
Lois Murphy gave a welcome 
Lois Murphy
and introduction, we showed the 
videos from Montgomery County 
Commissioner Arkoosh and Office 
of Children and Youth Services 
Administrator Roberto Duarte, and 
then two of the families shared a 
few words – after which the judges 
completed the five adoptions,” she 
said. 

After each adoption, they invited 
participants on the call to unmute 
themselves to cheer, clap and 
offer congratulations to the family. 
Many of the families wore special 
adoption-related T-shirts that said 
things like “Peace Out Foster Care,” 
“Team *Family Name* - Lifetime 
Member” and “Gotcha Day.” 

12

(above) Victoria and Matthew Kuhn adopted 
Aiden, the foster child who had lived in their 
home for nearly three years. He joins a large, 
blended family, but only his mom and dad 
joined him for the hearing.

(below) Berks Couty Adoption Day flyer.

PABLE Holds 
Successful Remote 
Bar Exam 

After watching some other states like Michigan and Florida 
experience an array of technical and security issues in their 
attempts to administer the bar exam online, many applicants 
in Pennsylvania began to worry as their exams grew closer. 

However, despite its completely unprecedented nature, the 
Pennsylvania’s October remote bar exam went off without a 
glitch on Oct. 5-7. 

Bar associations, law firms and other organizations all 
stepped up to host students who were taking the exam to 
ensure adequate testing space, sufficient Wi-Fi connection 
and even offered laptops to anyone who needed one.  

“We did everything we could to help folks that were 
concerned that they didn’t have a quiet place to test,” 
Gicine explained. “The PA Bar Association asked their 
members to make conference rooms available to host 
applicants and set up a webpage for law firms to post how 
many spaces they had.” 

The identification process was another cause of concern for 
some applicants who expressed worries about privacy and 
biometric data concerns, given the use of facial recognition 
technology that Examsoft uses to verify an applicant’s 
identity.

Its success took months of meticulous planning and a lot 
of collaboration and coordination with other agencies and 
organizations to make that possible. 

AOPC/IT helped to streamline the initial ID verification 
process by developing a way for applicants to upload their 
ID online, rather than mailing them to the Board. 

Gicine Brignola, executive director of 

Right from the start, Gicine Brignola
the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners (PABLE) said that 
the Board had ruled out any kind of exam that would require 
a constant online connection, concerned about potential Wi-
Fi/connection issues.

While the test didn’t require a constant internet connection, 
applicants needed to be able to access their email using 
Wi-Fi or cell data to obtain this file and their passwords, and 
then to upload the recordings of them taking the test. 

Both to avoid potential same-day issues and to solve the 
problem of how to administer the exam to 30,000 people 
simultaneously, applicants were instructed to download the 
exam in encrypted format before exam day. 

Even though applicants were required to have their 
webcams and microphones turned on while they recorded 
themselves taking the exam, the Board dispelled any 
privacy concerns with assurances that the ExamSoft vendor 
anonymously distributes these files to their proctor partners 
for grading and does not save any of the applicant’s 
identifying information. 

Countless intricate planning details went into making this 
exam an overall success, many of which will go unnoticed. 
However, the amount of time put in by the PABLE, its 
Chair, David Fine
David Fine, Gicine Brignola and every other 
partner involved was well worth it, as other states look to 
Pennsylvania as a model. 

Chief Justice  
Thomas G. Saylor 
virtually presents 
award to Board of 
Law Examiners 
Chair David Fine

The award was for special 
recognition in appreciation of Fine’s 
leadership of the Board in crafting 
and implementing responses to the 
COVID-19 pandemic.    

It was inscribed “Exceptional 
Leadership in Extraordinary 
Times” and cited the first remote 
administration of the Pennsylvania 
Bar Examination and the first 
supervised practice license.

13

Court Administrator  
Geoff Moulton receives the 
PBA Quality of Life Award

Editors
Stacey Witalec
Kim Bathgate

Writer
Casey Scheffler

Contributors
Patti Campbell
Rhonda Hocker
Stephen Baldwin

Graphic Design
Gretchen Smith

Photography
Justin Scott

Court Administrator of PA
Geoff Moulton

Assistant Court Administrator of PA
Andrea B. Tuominen

All content is collected, written 
and edited by the AOPC 
Communications Office 
unless noted. 
You may reach the office 
by calling: (717) 231-3300 
or by emailing: 
CommunicationsOffice@pacourts.us

For more information about 
Pennsylvania’s courts, visit: 
www.pacourts.us

Twitter @PACourts
Facebook @PACourts
YouTube @PACourts
Instagram @pennsylvaniacourts

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Thomas G. Saylor
Chief Justice of Pennsylvania

Max Baer
Justice

Debra Todd
Justice

Christine Donohue
Justice

Kevin M. Dougherty
Justice

David N. Wecht
Justice

Sallie Updyke Mundy
Justice

assisting attorneys in maintaining 
and improving their overall quality 
of life. 

The committee’s message of 
recognition read as follows: 

Hon. H. Geoffrey Moulton Jr.
H. Geoffrey Moulton Jr. 
has contributed in many ways 
to help improve the quality 
of life for lawyers, particularly 
during the pandemic. In leading 
the Administrative Office of 
Pennsylvania Courts, he has taken 
steps to assure the safety, well-
being and quality of life of lawyers 
and particularly those appearing in 
the courts at hearings, arguments, 
trials and conferences. He has 
responded with actions needed 
to overcome obstacles presented 
by the courts being closed due to 
COVID-19. 

Chief Justice Thomas Saylor
Thomas Saylor 
extended congratulations on 
behalf of the Pennsylvania 
Supreme Court: “This well-
deserved award honors Geoff’s 
contributions in navigating both 
the changing circumstances 
of the pandemic itself and the 
evolving health guidance affecting 
lawyers and court proceedings 
throughout the state.” The AOPC 
joins the Supreme Court in offering 
congratulations to Geoff. 

14

The Pennsylvania Bar Association 
last month recognized state Court 
Administrator Geoff Moulton as 
the 2020 recipient of the C. Dale 
McClain Quality of Life/Balance 
Award. 

Although the award would typically 
have been presented during the 
PBA’s annual luncheon, this year’s 
ceremony was held via Zoom 
– where PBA President David 
Schwager and Immediate Past 
President Anne John presented 
the awards virtually. 

Granted by the PBA Quality of Life/
Balance Committee, the annual  
C. Dale McClain Award recognizes 
the substantial contribution made  
by a Pennsylvania attorney in 
identifying issues relevant to 
balancing the professional and 
personal lives of their peers, as 
well as the progress made in