"The Robing Room: PA State Judges

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Only items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating.

General Rating Criteria

* Temperament		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Scholarship		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Industriousness		(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
* Ability to Handle Complex Litigation		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Punctuality		(1=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Scott P. Bittner

Comments

Litigant

Comment #: PA494
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I am writing to express my concern about the overall performance of Judge Scott Bittner, a judge in the Somerset County Court in Somerset, Pennsylvania. I believe that Judge Bittner has been explicitly biased against numerous victimized women in his family court decisions.

In particular, I am concerned about Judge Bittner's refusal to adhere to the 16 factors that are set forth in the Pennsylvania Family Code when making decisions about child custody and visitation. These factors are designed to ensure that the best interests of the child are always the primary consideration in family court cases. However, Judge Bittner has repeatedly ignored these factors in his decisions, often awarding custody to the father in cases where the mother has been the primary caregiver.

This bias has had a devastating impact on many women and children. In one case that I am aware of, Judge Bittner awarded custody of a 5-year-old child to the father, even though the mother had been the primary caregiver for the child since birth. The mother had a stable job and a loving home, while the father had a history of domestic violence and substance abuse. As a result of the judge's decision, the child was forced to live with a father who was abusive and neglectful.

I am concerned that Judge Bittner's biased decisions are not only harmful to the women and children involved in his cases, but they also undermine the integrity of the judicial system. Pennsylvania needs to do better. Accepting this sort of bias to exist in our court system is unacceptable.