In a stunning turn of events late Friday, a Philadelphia Common Pleas court judge disqualified Seth Williams, the leading candidate for Philadelphia District Attorney, on the ground that he "failed to report the receipt of expenses in excess of $10,000 from his campaign," as required financial disclosure forms filed with the city. In a related ballot challenge, Common Pleas Court Judge Allan Tereshko ruled that candidate Michael Turner has sufficient valid signatures on his nominating petitions to remain on the ballot. Before the ruling, there were five Democrats and one Republican on the ballot for the May 19 primary election.In a written statement, the Williams campaign said it would appeal Tereshko's decision.
ludicrous...courts do not belong reviewing these statements at the level of detail here. these election proceedings are done in a supercondensed period of time, and udges are not experts in financial disclosure. this is a state ethics commission issue and not a way of denying ballot access to candidates. this is becoming a cheap way for opponents to remove each other and unfairly limit the peoples' choices. this financial interest statement should be removed form the election petition process or this will continue to grow into a very dangerous game.