Wolf to fill 2 spots on Supreme Court

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf plans to nominate fill-ins to take two vacant state Supreme Court seats until new justices are elected in November and sworn in.

However, Wolf’s press secretary Jeffrey Sheridan said Wednesday that the Democrat has made no decisions on who he will nominate, or when.

A nominee will need two-thirds approval from the state Senate, and Republicans and Democrats say they’ve given Wolf suggestions as to whom they would accept.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa says he hopes new justices are in place on the seven-member bench before its next arguments session, March 9-13.

Two seats are open because Justice Seamus McCaffery retired in October amid a pornographic e-mail scandal and Chief Justice Ronald Castille retired in December after turning 70, the state’s mandatory retirement age for judges.

Tax-exempt vote stalls in Senate

HARRISBURG — Republican efforts to put Pennsylvania state lawmakers back in control of granting tax-exempt status to charities is meeting more resistance.

The Senate’s scheduled vote Wednesday fizzled after some Republicans requested a hearing first and Democrats signaled they would all oppose the bill. A hearing could happen next week.

The delay came amid a flurry of lobbying against it by public-sector labor unions and local government officials. The charities include hospitals, social service providers, universities and houses of worship.

The bill is a resolution to change the constitution. It was spurred by a 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that put the courts, not lawmakers, in charge of granting tax-exempt status.