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<b>First Posted:</b> 1/15/2009<br><br>By Andrew M. Seder aseder@www.timesleader.comTimes Leader Staff Writer 
The state&amp;rsquo;s Supreme Court on Wednesday denied, without explanation or comment, a juvenile advocacy group&amp;rsquo;s request to reopen hundreds of Luzerne County court cases in which youths appeared before a judge without an attorney.

The Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia filed the request in April. The center sought the release of children who remain in custody or supervision as a result of what it deemed were violations of the youths&amp;rsquo; legal rights.
In a release, the center expressed disappointment in the state Supreme Court.
&amp;ldquo;As an organization that strives to protect the legal rights of our nation&amp;rsquo;s children, we are deeply disappointed by the (court&amp;rsquo;s) decision to deny relief to the hundreds of youth in Luzerne County wrongly denied counsel following arrest and prosecution in juvenile court,&amp;rdquo; said Marsha Levick, legal director at the law center. 
&amp;ldquo;The Luzerne County Juvenile Court&amp;rsquo;s disregard of the Constitution and the Pennsylvania law was unconscionable.&amp;rdquo; 
The center was prompted to file its action based on statistics that showed 50 percent of youths who went through the Luzerne County juvenile court system in 2005 and 2006 were not represented by an attorney &amp;ndash; a figure the center said is 10 times the state average
While the application was denied by the state Supreme Court, the law center is not giving up on its fight for the youth who it feels have been treated unfairly in the Luzerne County court system, Levick said. She noted that media coverage of the center&amp;rsquo;s lawsuit may have helped change practices within the county&amp;rsquo;s juvenile court.
&amp;ldquo;Accused youth reportedly now receive defense counsel. While this is a welcome development for Luzerne County youth charged more recently in juvenile court, it does not undo past wrongs,&amp;rdquo; Levick said.
Levick also announced the center was developing a pro bono project, dubbed &amp;ldquo;Project Clean Slate,&amp;rdquo; with a goal of expunging the delinquency records of county youth no longer under juvenile court jurisdiction. Those seeking information on the program are urged to call 1-800-875-8887. 
    
Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.

Court denies request to reopen juvie cases