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COMMITTEE REPORT
OF THE
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON SENATE ADDRESS
CHAIRMAN
JOHN R. GORDNER
DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN
SEAN WILEY
MEMBERS
LISA BAKER
ART HAYWOOD
JUDITH L. SCHWANK
GENE YAW
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE JOSEPH B. SCARNATI, III, EX OFFICIO
Art Haywood
Judith L. Schwank
Gene Yaw
COMMITTEE COUNSEL
J. Andrew Crompton
Joshua D. Funk
General Counsel to the Majority
Majority Counsel
Caucus
C.J. Hafner
Chief Counsel to the Minority
Caucus
Shannon Sargent
Minority Counsel
Mark A. Rush
Thomas C. Ryan
Special Counsels
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2.
3.
PURPOSE ...................................................................................................................................... 4
BACKGROUND FACTS .............................................................................................................. 6
RELEVANT LAW AND EVIDENCE ........................................................................................ 13
1.
The Special Committee finds that the Senate has jurisdiction over a
removal action against Attorney General Kane under Article VI, Section
7 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. ..................................................................... 13
2.
REPORT
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATION
1. After careful consideration and deliberation of the testimony presented and
evidence received, including the Legislative Reference Bureau memorandum
dated November 17, 2015 and the testimony of the Constitutional and Legal
Ethics panel on November 17, 2015, the Special Committee on Senate Address
finds that the Senate has jurisdiction over a removal action against the Attorney
General under Article VI, Section 7 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
2. After careful consideration and deliberation of the testimony presented and
evidence received, the Special Committee on Senate Address, while making no
specific finding on direct removal, finds a sufficient basis for the Senate to
move forward with due notice to Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane
and a full hearing pursuant to Article VI, Section 7 of the Pennsylvania
Constitution.
3. The Special Committee on Senate Address recommends that the Senate accept
this report and, within 15 days of the acceptance, the Special Committee shall
submit a proposed resolution outlining the procedures for providing the
required due notice and full hearing before removal that would be considered
by the full Senate.
PURPOSE
On October 26, 2015, under Senate Rule 5(a)(2), Senate Rule 26, and
Masons Manual of Legislative Procedure Section 640-1, President Pro Tempore
Senator Joseph B. Scarnati, III, following the Senates unanimous approval of a
motion, established the Special Committee on Senate Address (Special
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BACKGROUND FACTS
On December 7, 1993, the Attorney General earned her license to practice
law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, becoming a member of the
Pennsylvania bar.
On November 6, 2012, the Attorney General was elected as Attorney
General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
On January 15, 2013, the Attorney General was inaugurated as the Attorney
General.
I.
On September 21, 2015, the Supreme Court, after considering the responses
to its Rule to Show Cause, temporarily suspended the Attorney Generals license to
practice law in the Commonwealth and issued the following order:
AND NOW, this 21st day of September, 2015,
upon consideration of the responses to a Rule to Show
Cause why Kathleen Granahan Kane should not be
placed on temporary suspension, the Rule is made
absolute; Respondent Kathleen Granahan Kane is
placed on temporary suspension; and, to the extent
applicable, she shall comply with all the provisions of
Pa.R.D.E. 217.
Respondents rights to petition for dissolution or
amendment of this order pursuant to Pa.R.D.E.
208(f)(4), and to request accelerated disposition of
charges underlying this order pursuant to Pa.R.D.E.
208(f)(6), are specifically preserved.
This order should not be construed as removing
Respondent from elected office and is limited to the
temporary suspension of her license to practice law.
See Exhibit 1.
In accordance with Pa.R.D.E. 208(f)(3), the Attorney General is considered
a formerly admitted attorney under Pa.R.D.E. 102, which means that she may
not represent clients on new matters from that day forward, but she was allowed to
continue to represent existing clients on existing matters for 30 days following the
Supreme Courts order of temporary suspension. As of October 22, 2015, the
Attorney General could no longer perform any activities of a lawyer in good
standing and was specifically prohibited from performing any of the following:
(i) performing any law-related activity for a law firm,
organization or lawyer if the formerly admitted attorney was
associated with that law firm or lawyer on or after the date on which
the acts which resulted in the disbarment or suspension occurred,
through and including the effective date of disbarment or suspension;
(ii) performing any law-related services from an office that is not
staffed by a supervising attorney on a full time basis;
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(iii) performing any law-related services for any client who in the
past was represented by the formerly admitted attorney;
(iv) representing himself or herself as a lawyer or person of
similar status;
(v) having any contact with clients either in person, by telephone,
or in writing, except as provided [in some limited circumstances];
(vi) rendering legal consultation or advice to a client;
(vii) appearing on behalf of a client in any hearing or proceeding
or before any judicial officer, arbitrator, mediator, court, public
agency, referee, magistrate, hearing officer, or any other adjudicative
person or body;
(viii) appearing as a representative of a client at a deposition or
other discovery matter;
(ix) negotiating or transacting any matter for or on behalf of a
client with third parties or having any contact with third parties
regarding such a negotiation or transaction;
(x) receiving, disbursing, or otherwise handling client funds.
Pa.R.D.E. 217(j)(4)
The Attorney General was required by Pa.R.D.E. 217(a)-(b) to notify all
clients being represented in pending matters of the suspension and of the
consequent inability of the formerly admitted attorney to act as an attorney after
the effective date of the suspension.
III.
III, Executive Deputy Attorney General Robert A. Mulle, and Executive Deputy
Attorney General Lawrence Cherba, sent a memorandum to the Attorney General
(the October 22 Memorandum). The October 22 Memorandum set forth certain
concerns in response to the public statements made on behalf of the Attorney
General regarding the perceived scope of limitations on her job duties.
Specifically, the four deputies stated, [W]e cannot agree with your assessment
that few adjustments to office operations are required during the term of your
license suspension. They further stated, Numerous issues are raised by your
license suspension, including:
1. compliance with Rule 3.8 of the Rules of Professional Conduct;
2. the scope of the suspension;
3. the impact of the suspension on the Offices decision making process;
4. the notice that must be given to the Offices clients of your
suspension; and
5. the relationship of the attorneys in the office to you.
IV.
On October 23, 2015, the President Pro Tempore announced his intentions to
convene the Special Committee to pursue possible address under Article VI,
Section 7 of the Pennsylvania Constitution related to the Attorney General.
On October 26, 2015, the Senate unanimously authorized the President Pro
Tempore to form the Special Committee under Senate Rule 5(a)(2), Senate Rule
26, and Masons Manual of Legislative Procedure Section 640-1. On that same
day, the President Pro Tempore appointed six Senators to the Special Committee
and named himself a member ex officio.
On October 28, 2015, the Special Committee established a website at
http://senateaddress.pasen.gov/ to keep the citizenry informed of the Special
Committees activities and to accept public comment.
Document Requests
On October 29, 2015, the Special Committee sent a document request to the
Attorney General asking for:
Any and all documents, including electronic communications,
detailing or describing the operation of the Office of Attorney General
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General Kane] from elected office and is limited to the temporary suspension of
her license to practice law.
A.
Testimony
12
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Constitution of Pennsylvania confer upon the Senate the authority to consider the
removal of the elected Attorney General?
On November 17, 2015, the Legislative Reference Bureau answered the
Special Committees question in the affirmative and issued a legal opinion
concluding that Article VI, 7 of the Constitution of Pennsylvania allows for the
removal of certain elected civil officers from office for reasonable cause, including
the Attorney General, by the Governor on address of two-thirds of the Senate of
Pennsylvania. See Exhibit 10.
Accordingly, after due consideration and investigation, the Special Committee
finds that the Senate body has constitutional authority to consider removal of the
Attorney General for reasonable cause, after due notice and full hearing.
2. The Special Committee on Senate Address, while making no specific
findings on direct removal, finds a sufficient basis for the Senate to move
forward with providing due notice and a full hearing under Article VI,
Section 7 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
The Special Committee subpoenaed four Deputy Attorneys General
(DAGs) who testified under oath regarding the Attorney Generals job
responsibilities as they exist in law, as they existed in practice before the
suspension of her law license, and as they presently are performed. The Special
Committee also received testimony from three District Attorneys (DAs), who
like the Attorney Generalare the highest law enforcement officers in their
jurisdictions and have familiarity with the legal and practical requirements of
overseeing prosecutors/agents, referring conflict cases to the Office of Attorney
General (OAG), and conducting legal business on behalf of the Commonwealth.
The Special Committee obtained this testimony to determine whether a
sufficient basis exists for the Senate to consider the removal of the Attorney
General for reasonable cause. While the Special Committee indeed finds that such
a sufficient basis exists for a referral to the Senate to take further action, it
presently makes no finding regarding whether reasonable cause itself ultimately
exists for the removal of the Attorney General, as that question must be decided by
two-thirds of the entire Senate.
Many of the Attorney Generals job responsibilities are legal in nature.
The OAG is an independent department and shall be headed by the
Attorney General. Commonwealth Attorneys Act 201. The Commonwealth
Attorneys Act provides the scope of the Attorney Generals powers and duties. Id.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General (among other things):
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the harm may be irreparable and impossible for the OAG to manage, given the
separate powers of the judiciary:
If [the OAG] had a criminal case in a county involving a serious violent
offender and [the OAG] charged that individual . . . because they would
be a danger to the community if they were released, and a defense
attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case based on the lack of
jurisdiction of the Attorney Generals Office to investigate and/or
prosecute the matter, and one of the many hundreds of Common Pleas
judges we have in this Commonwealth found that that motion was valid
and dismissed the case, that person would be released[.]
Vol. III, pp. 181-82.
Accordingly, after due consideration and investigation, the Special
Committee finds a sufficient basis to refer the question of removal of the Attorney
General to the Senate pursuant to Article VI, Section 7 of the Pennsylvania
Constitution.
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NAY
NV
BAKER
__X__
____
____
GORDNER, Chair
__X__
____
____
HAYWOOD
__X__
____
____
SCARNATI, Ex Officio
__X__
____
____
SCHWANK
__X__
____
____
WILEY
__X__
____
____
YAW
__X__
____
____
AYES
__7__
NAYS
__0__
NV
__0__
19
AYE
NAY
NV
BAKER
__X__
____
____
GORDNER, Chair
__X__
____
____
HAYWOOD
____
__X__
____
SCARNATI, Ex Officio
__X__
____
____
SCHWANK
____
__X__
____
WILEY
__X__
____
____
YAW
__X__
____
____
AYES
__5__
NAYS
__2__
NV
__0__
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LIST OF EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1:
Exhibit 2:
Exhibit 3:
Exhibit 4:
Exhibit 5:
Exhibit 6:
Exhibit 7:
Exhibit 8
Exhibit 9:
Exhibit 10: The November 17, 2015 legal opinion issued by the
Legislative Reference Bureau.
Exhibit 11: Transcripts (Vols. I-III) of testimony before the Special
Committee
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