HARRISBURG -- Superior Court Judge Joan Orie Melvin launched an attack today on her opponent in the state Supreme Court race, Jack Panella, saying it was unethical for him to take large campaign contributions from Philadelphia trial lawyers, whose cases he rules on regularly.

"It's pay to play and it's justice for sale," Judge Orie Melvin, a Republican from Marshall, told reporters after today's meeting of the Pennsylvania Press Club, where she was guest speaker.

She said Judge Panella accepted $1 million in contributions from the Committee for a Better Tomorrow, a political action committee funded by Philadelphia trial lawyers.

Judge Orie Melvin acknowledged that she accepted $100,000 herself from that group, although campaign finance records show she actually received $125,000.

She said there's a huge difference between the amount she accepted and the amount Judge Panella did.

Judge Orie Melvin said the contribution to Judge Panella gives the perception of a payback for rulings in favor of trial lawyers, something vehemently denied by the Panella camp and the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, formerly the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association.

"She seems to be saying that they're giving all this money so they can buy Jack Panella, but maybe they're just supporting someone who supports victims," said Panella campaign spokesman Dan Fee. Judge Panella, of Easton, is also on the Superior Court and is on the Democratic ticket.

Judge Orie Melvin said she favors limits on campaign contributions for judicial candidates but did not specify what those limits should be except that "$1 million is too much, and I would definitely say $500,000 is too much."

She said the Supreme Court should make rules requiring judges to recuse themselves from cases involving major campaign contributors.

"There would be no reason for special interest groups to give such large amounts to judges who can't hear their issues," she said.

Still, Judge Orie Melvin said she has no plans to recuse herself from cases involving the state Senate, even though its Republican leader pledged to raise $1.2 million for her Supreme Court campaign and its Republican whip is her sister Jane Orie.

"If she's admitting that judges would be influenced by sizable contributions, then she should stop running because she's accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from Senate Republican leadership," Mr. Fee said.

Judge Orie Melvin said she would not be influenced by her sister -- whom she characterized as merely one of 253 lawmakers -- or by support of other legislative leaders.

"I will apply the constitution and the rule of law as I have in the past," she said.

Election Day is Nov. 3.

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