A squabble amongst judges reached the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. This matter involved a challenge to a president judge’s administrative order that disqualified a common pleas court judge from adjudicating single-party petitions filed by the judge’s son. Judge Domitrovich and other parties filed notices of appeal from the order, seeking review in the Commonwealth Court’s appellate jurisdiction. The Commonwealth Court issued a per curiam memorandum opinion, transferring the consolidated appeals to the Supreme Court. The Court quashed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction. The Court found that the president judge did not issue the order in connection with a judicial proceeding before the common pleas court and did not resolve finally any disputed claims between parties. Instead, the express purpose of the order was to implement an administrative directive to eliminate any appearance of impropriety on the part of the judiciary concerning the business conducted by the court. Therefore, the administrative order was not appealable because it was not a final order.
