Pittsburgh district judge race an early test of the resurgent left
Pappas challenges incumbent Costa
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but a seat in the minor judiciary!
OK, that may need work as a manifesto. But Pittsburgh attorney Mikhail Pappas hopes a chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America — and renewed energy on the political left — will help him topple a longtime district judge in Pittsburgh’s East End. And how he performs as an Independent candidate this November may be an early chance for a fast-growing political movement to flex its muscles locally.
“It’s a bellwether for things to come,” said Mr. Pappas of Highland Park. “You see all this energy on the left, and that to me is the future.”
District judges handle preliminary criminal proceedings, like setting bail and adjudicating landlordtenant and other neighborhood disputes. But Mr. Pappas said such decisions “go to the core of a community’s stability” and can help transform the justice system.
Mr. Pappas initially sought to unseat Ron Costa Sr., a Morningside Democrat serving his fourth sixyear term, during the Democratic primary, but he withdrew after he failed to capture the endorsement of party leaders. Referring to his Independent challenge, Mr. Pappas said, “I’m not interested in disparaging anybody,” and he pledged to be a more progressive judge.
For example, he said, “I’m not a believer in money bail.” While those accused of violent crimes should be held until trial, for “economic crimes like drug offenses, I can’t see how putting someone in jail is justified.” While defendants can walk free if they post a bond, in the case of impoverished defendants, “you know it’s unfair to impose pay.”
Richard King, a South Hills district judge who serves on a state panel that educates district judges, said judges already often don’t demand cash bail in nonviolent cases.
In many cases, “what he’s suggesting he would do, we already do,” said Judge King, whose election committee has backed the Costa campaign.
Mr. Pappas also said landlord-tenant disputes might need deeper scrutiny.
“Eviction is a major trauma. … And we know that landlords are far more likely to attend a hearing with a lawyer, so there’s a great imbalance of power,” he said.
Mr. Costa’s campaign manager, Casey Mullen, countered that the judiciary “is not where we expect to pass legislation and policy. Since 1992, Judge Costa has fully understood and upheld the role of the judicial branch.”
Still, Mr. Pappas has found support from an energized and left-leaning base.
District judge “is the first line of impact that government has on people’s lives,” said Adam Shuck, co-chair of the DSA’s Pittsburgh chapter. “We think housing is a human right, and an argument with your landlord can be a life-or-death situation.”
Along with Anita Prizio, an Allegheny County Council candidate, Mr. Pappas is one of two candidates the DSA is backing this November. The two are also among 27 candidates endorsed nationwide by Our Revolution, the successor organization to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. Mr. Sanders, an Independent, ran in the 2016 primary as a Democrat against Hillary Clinton.
“We get involved when we think it’s an important race,” said Diane May, a spokeswoman for Our Revolution. The group’s backing means “urging members across the country if they want to make bail when they can’t calls or donate.”
Formed in 1982 and touting itself as “the largest socialist organization in the United States,” the DSA benefited mightily from Mr. Sanders’ self-identification as a democratic socialist. The group’s national membership more than tripled, to 25,000, becoming younger and more diverse. The Pittsburgh chapter now boasts 350 members, Mr. Shuck said.
Even with that backing, it may prove difficult for Mr. Pappas to get voters to even notice an Independent on the November ballot. Judge Costa boasts one of the region’s bestknown political names and a financial edge: Bolstered by unions and elected Democrats, his campaign finished the primary season with $24,330, an order of magnitude more than Mr. Pappas’ $2,292.
But Daniel Moraff, Mr. Pappas’ campaign manager, said that with the DSA’s help the campaign had drawn more than 100 volunteers, “which is unheard of in a district judge race. … It’s taking the energy we saw in the Sanders campaign and bringing it into local races.”
Mr. Pappas’ race may herald further challenges to conservative local Democrats, especially in areas like Bloomfield that are attracting younger, more liberal residents.
“When this race is over, you want to look at the turnout among people under age 35,” Mr. Moraff said. “I think you’ll see a real swing.”
DSA member Sara Innamorato, for one, is already laying out a 2018 challenge of the district judge’s cousin, state Rep. Dom Costa, whose positions on social issues have irked progressives. Whatever happens in November, Mr. Pappas said, “I hope everyone in these future races understands that these young folks coming up care deeply about their community.”