phillyburbs.com
Judge Alan Rubenstein
Feb. 26, 2016
“What a waste it would be to force Bucks County (Pa.) Judge Alan Rubenstein from the bench. At 70, he remains sharp and vibrant, a jurist of impeccable credentials with vast institutional knowledge of Bucks County, not to mention historic accomplishments.
“As district attorney, Rubenstein tried more cases than any prosecutor in county history. And he was the only county DA to be elected four times, a measure of how well he did the job and how much voters trusted and appreciated him. Indeed, they rewarded him with a seat on the county bench, a post Rubenstein continues to relish and is in no hurry to relinquish.
“Yet, Rubenstein and every judge across the state faces mandatory retirement at age 70… unless voters extend the mandatory retirement age (to 75)….”
– From “Sound judgment: Too soon to retire,” editorial in the Bucks County Courier Times (Feb. 23) cached here
“No tribute to Judge Alan Rubenstein is complete without mentioning his wise and courageous decision not to pursue charges in the Breezy Point Day School case in 1990…. Countless other prosecutors across the nation fell hard for the ‘satanic ritual abuse’ moral panic, but Judge Rubenstein kept his head, investigated thoroughly and protected Bucks County from the nightmare that befell towns such as Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Edenton, N.C.”
— From my letter to the editor of the Courier Times (Feb. 26)
Unless Pennsylvania voters approve that referendum on the April 26 ballot, Rubenstein’s valuable service will be limited to fill-in duty.
Some septuagenarian judges, of course, should stay retired.
