PITTSBURGH — An Allegheny County judge is set to determine today the constitutionality of a state law used to charge Republican state Sen. Jane Orie with illegally using her legislative staff to do campaign work for herself and her sister, Supreme Court Justice Jane Orie Melvin.

Judge Jeffrey Manning will also hear a motion by Democrat District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. for an out of county jury in the case during today’s pretrial hearing. Zappala says Orie’s claims that the case is politically motivated and driven by her opposition to the gambling industry, in which the prosecutor’s family is active, has tainted potential jurors.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the judge intends to rule on the pretrial issues at the hearing’s conclusion, or at some other point before the trial begins Feb. 7.