U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum are expected to make recommendations to President George Bush for nominations for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit shortly. This is considered a high priority now because there are currently three vacancies on the Third Circuit court, according to the court’s chief deputy clerk Bradford Baldus.

Baldus said that two of the justices have become senior status and the third vacancy occurred after the death of Judge Carol Los Mansmann, who died last month after a long battle with breast cancer.

“This is a top priority,” said Sean Reilly, the state director for Santorum. “The untimely death of Judge Mansmann has created a new situation.” He said that both Specter and Santorum are expected to meet April 9 on the issue.

Specter sits on the Senate judiciary committee and the subcommittee of administrative oversight of the courts, and therefore his recommendations hold much weight.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Stephen A. Zappala has been mentioned lately in legal social circles as a possible candidate for the Third Circuit.

Zappala is a Democrat and has served on the state’s high court since 1983. He became the chief justice after the retirement of former Chief Justice John P. Flaherty.

Dawn O’Brien, Zappala’s law clerk, said the chief justice had no comment on the matter.

“Justice Zappala is a possibility,” said Specter, “but we are just getting started on the process. The president is now reviewing Pittsburgh federal court Judge Brook Smith for one vacancy,” he said.

He added that New Jersey senators would be nominating candidates also; the Third Circuit covers Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

After the senate recommends potential judges, the president nominates them. Then the names go back to the whole Senate for confirmation.

Gays for Ed

It is no great surprise that the Pride of Philadelphia Election Committee (POPEC) endorsed Ed Rendell for governor. Rendell, who helped POPEC founder and president Mark Segal establish the 400-member PAC 12 years ago, has vocally supported the rights of gays and lesbians since at least 1977, when he was running for district attorney.

POPEC also endorsed state Sen. Allen Kukovich for lieutenant governor. Kukovich was credited for pushing the Hate Crimes bill in the senate.

Liberty City Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club also endorsed Rendell and Kukovich last month.

OutFront, a PAC and a gay-and-lesbian advocacy group, is expected to make its endorsements this week.

“I can tell you that OutFront is leaning toward Rendell,” said OutFront president Michael Williams.

Williams said he will have to recuse himself from that vote, however, because he is helping with fundraising and voter registration in Montgomery County for the Rendell campaign.

“I am working to get Republicans to change their registration and vote for Rendell in the primary,” said Williams. He added that he is a fan of Kukovich for supporting the Hate Crimes Bill.

Log Cabin Republicans, a gay Republican organization that supports only Republican candidates, is hosting its annual Abe Awards on Sun., May 5, at the Doubletree Hotel in Center City.

Patrick C. Guerriero is this year’s winner of the Abe Award, which is named after famous Republican Abraham Lincoln. Guerriero is running for lieutenant governor in Massachusetts. He is running as an openly gay candidate having served as the mayor of the suburb of Melrose and in the House.

The Abe Awards is an official PrideFest America event. PrideFest will present its 10th annual symposium and festival in the city April 29 through May 5,.

This and That

If you are out and about in the city during the next two weeks, take some time to stop and gander at the giant outdoor movie screen in the Doubletree Hotel courtyard on Broad Street.

The Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema will be showing film clips from the 200 films that are featured in this year’s annual festival, which runs for 15 days beginning Thursday night. The clips will be shown for 15 hours a day.

Philadelphia Film Society is producing the event, and its executive director, Rich Goldberg, said that this will be the American debut for this screen, which has been used at other film festivals in Cannes and Berlin.

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