John P. Flaherty Jr.
John P. Flaherty Jr. | |
---|---|
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | |
In office 1996–2001 | |
Preceded by | Robert N. C. Nix Jr. |
Succeeded by | Ralph Cappy |
Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | |
In office 1979–2002 | |
Preceded by | Thomas Pomeroy |
Succeeded by | Michael Eakin |
Personal details | |
Born | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | November 19, 1931
Died | February 20, 2019 | (aged 87)
Political party | Democratic |
John P. Flaherty Jr. (November 19, 1931 - February 20, 2019)[1][2] was a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1978 to 2001 and chief justice of the Court from 1996 to 2001. He retired at the end of 2001.[3] His seat as Justice was filled by Michael Eakin.[3]
In a highly controversial case while a trial judge, Judge Flaherty's November 16, 1978 findings on Paul Aitkenhead v. Borough of West View, No. GD-4585-78 in part state: "Over the course of five months, the court held periodic hearings, which consisted of extensive expert testimony from as far away as England. At issue was the most recent time-trend study of Dr. Burk and Dr. Yiamouyiannis, which compared cancer mortality in ten cities which fluoridated their water systems with ten cities which did not fluoridate over a period of twenty-eight years from 1940 to 1968. The study concluded that there was a significant increase in cancer mortality in the fluoridated cities."[citation needed]
Judge Flaherty remained convinced that fluoridation is a dangerous practice based on the scientific evidence and moreover that those who belittle opponents of fluoridation do the public a disservice. He agreed that fluoridation is a legislative and regulatory matter under U.S. laws that govern the practice.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Lynn S. McQuown, Pennsylvania, George Ehgartner (J.) (1993). The Pennsylvania Manual, Volume 111. Department of Property and Supplies for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. ISBN 9780818201776. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Obituary for John P. Flaherty, Jr". Neely Funeral Home. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ a b Jackson, Peter (November 7, 2001). "Eakin Ahead in Supreme Court Race". Beaver County Times.
- CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
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