Potential litigation regulation corporations recognized on the time of DA’s election

A committee of the Lucerne County Council has identified the attorneys who will be questioned about the possible handling of a legal challenge over the timing of the district attorney’s race.

According to the upcoming agenda, the Council’s Special Election Committee will publicly question the following lawyers from two law firms at its virtual meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday:

• J. Chadwick Snow of Tucker Hull Law Firm in Annville, Pennsylvania

• Peter J. Adonizio Jr. and Thomas I. Vanaskie of Stevens & Lee with an office in Scranton.

The district attorney’s race is slated to appear on the November 2nd general election ballot because a majority of the district electoral committee has decided that it must be done under the new federal laws regulating DA jobs. The county’s Democratic and Republican party organizations could each elect one candidate.

However, all six members of the Republican District Council voted last month to set up the committee to seek outside legal counsel to obtain a court ruling on the matter, with some councilors citing conflicting legal interpretations as the reason.

During the meeting on Thursday, after the interviews, the committee is to discuss a possible nomination recommendation, which it would present to the eleven-member council, according to the agenda. Such an appointment must be approved by a majority of the Council.

The committee’s agenda package does not include attorney submissions or estimated costs.

Councilor Kendra Radle, a Republican, chairs the committee, which includes Councilors Tim McGinley, a Democrat, and LeeAnn McDermott, a Republican.

In a side note, County Councilor Robert Schnee said he was not related to Attorney J. Chadwick Schnee on Tuesday.

According to information on the law firms’ websites:

J. Chadwick Snow has over a decade of experience in a wide variety of matters, including community affairs. He has tried several cases in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and is an authority on the right to know.

He has also served as Berks County’s first assistant district attorney, and as assistant chief counsel for the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, wrote or edited approximately 10,000 definitive edicts related to the right to know.

At Stevens & Lee, Adonizio focuses on commercial disputes and represents corporations, community entities and individuals in litigation in state and federal courts. He has served on appeals in all Pennsylvania appeals courts and in the U.S. First and Third District Appeals Courts.

Prior to joining Stevens & Lee, Adonizio was a trainee lawyer at the US Third District Court of Appeals. Before studying law, Adonizio worked for the Trion Group as an associate account manager for three years. He also has a morgue background and works for his family’s business, Adonizio Funeral Home LLC in Pittston.

Vanaskie has more than four decades of legal experience, including eight years as a judge in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Third District and 16 years in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, including seven years as Chief Judge.

The job posting came up in Lucerne County because Stefanie Salavantis resigned on March 25 to run for district judge. Republican Sam Sanguedolce, previously the first assistant to the prosecutor, was automatically appointed to fill the post of prosecutor under the new state law.

Instructions for attending Thursday’s committee meeting will be posted on the online link to the council’s public meetings on luzernecounty.org.