Grover Norquist, is President of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes at both the federal, state and local levels. ATR organizes the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which asks all candidates for federal and state office to commit themselves in writing to oppose all tax increases. To date, President George W. Bush, 195 House members, and 42 Senators have taken the pledge. On the state level, 7 governors and 1,221 state legislators have taken the pledge.

A native of Massachusetts, Mr. Norquist serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America, and the American Conservative Union. He is a contributing editor to the American Spectator Magazine. He is author of the recently published book Leave Us Alone—Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives.

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Joan Orie Melvin has been a judge for over 23 years with the unique experience of serving at all levels of the judiciary. She was the first Republican and first female Chief Magistrate of the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts. She was the first female Republican elected to the Allegheny County Common Pleas bench -- the only Republican out of 43 judges. She was assigned to the Criminal, Family, and Civil Divisions presiding over the gamut of trials from Death Penalty and major felonies to complex civil litigation. She was the first Republican woman elected to the Superior Court, serving for 11 years and participating in 8000 appeals. She has a solid background in business issues and received the highest rating from the U.S. Chamber of commerce.

She is a strict constructionist and believes in judicial restraint—the job of judging is interpreting the law not creating it. She has a long proven track record as a conservative judge.

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Cheryl Lynn Allen has been a sitting Judge on the bench since 1990 serving in the Court of Common Pleas, the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania, and as a statewide elected Judge on the Superior Court where she currently serves today.

She is a Pittsburgh native and a graduate of Schenley High School, Penn State University, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Judge Allen began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. After graduating from law school, she worked as an attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and the Allegheny County Law Department. She also maintained a small private civil practice, working as a small business owner.

In the spring of 1990, Judge Allen earned a merit selection appointment to the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, where she served in the Criminal Division. Judge Allen was elected to a ten-year term in November of 1991 and was assigned to the Juvenile Section of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. The voters retained Judge Allen for a second ten-year term in November of 2001.

Allen is married to Jimmie Skip and is the mother of three sons, Frederick, Justin and Jason, and the grandmother of six.

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Judge Jackie Shogan is a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. She brings 19 years of experience in complex litigation and criminal law to the court, and she teaches appellate practice at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Judge Shogan is a high honors graduate of Duke Law School and prior to attending law school she was a registered nurse.

On the Pennsylvania Superior Court and throughout her legal career, Judge Shogan has upheld a high standard of integrity and clear commitment to a conservative judicial philosophy. In 2007, she stated that she would return the net amount of the controversial pay raise if elected and has done so, along with the recent COLA, because it is a matter of trust and accountability. These are the standards that she will bring to the Supreme Court.

She lives with her husband, Jeff, and their three children in Murrysville, PA along with her mother and her husband's father.

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The Honorable Paul P. Panepinto is presently a Judge in the Civil Trial Division, Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia, and a candidate for Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Judge Panepinto attended Villanova University on a full academic scholarship and received his B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Political Science. He received his J.D. from Widener University School of Law in 1976. Judge Panepinto served as a Probation Officer, then as an Attorney at Law prior to his appointment to the bench in June, 1990. He was elected in 1991, and retained for a ten year term commencing January 2002.

After serving five years on the Family Court Bench, Judge Panepinto was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as Administrative Judge of the Philadelphia Family Court Division where he served from 1996 to 2000. Under his administration, many new programs were initiated to improve court operations and make the court "user friendly' and help to resolve conflicts for children and families. He then served as a Trustee for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges from 2001 to 2007. During that time, he was appointed to a four year term in 2003 as a member of the State Court of Judicial Discipline with jurisdiction over the conduct of all Justices and Judges in Pennsylvania.

Judge Panepinto has received numerous awards. Most notable awards include Outstanding Alumnus of the Year from Widener University Law School, as well as the Marvin E. Wolfgang Award of the Juvenile Justice Center of Pennsylvania for his outstanding contributions for work and dedication performed for Children at Risk. Also, Judge Panepinto was instrumental in securing funding for the Model Court in Philadelphia, which has resulted in expediting the worst cases of neglected, deprived or abused children to reach adoption in a timely manner. He is also credited with launching the nation's first satellite Truancy Court which has served as a model for other jurisdictions throughout the nation and was recognized for such efforts by the Governor and the Attorney General of Rhode Island. Judge Panepinto was given the prestigious Italian recognition of "Cavaliere" by the Consul General of Italy for significant contribution to the Republic of Italy in both personal and professional life.

Judge Panepinto and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 31 years and have two children, Paul, age 25 and Lynn, age 22.

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