The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reprimanded him as a lawyer. Philly Democrats want to make him a judge anyway

PHILADELPHIA — In 2021, attorney Shawn K. Page received a rare public reprimand from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's disciplinary board for mishandling a client's case.

This year, the Philadelphia Bar Association rated Page, who is running to be a Philadelphia Municipal Court judge, as "not recommended" when evaluating judicial candidates.

And over at least the last two years, Page has been subject to a series of liens for about $200,000 in unpaid federal income taxes and penalties. He says he is now in a payment plan with the Internal Revenue Service, and has reduced what he owes.

Those types of issues could prove problematic for a candidate running for a high-profile office that attracts significant scrutiny from voters. But Page is well-positioned to win a seat on the Municipal Court bench, having secured the endorsement of a smaller group of voters whose preferences almost always prevail in elections for Philadelphia's judiciary: the city's Democratic ward leaders.

"I'm an everyday guy. I have everyday issues, everyday problems," said Page, a partner and senior trial lawyer at the Mincey Fitzpatrick Ross firm. "I don't present to the people ... as a saint. But what I am is a good attorney."

The winners of the Democratic primary next month are all but guaranteed to win in November, thanks to Philadelphia's deep-blue electorate. And the candidates who win the local party's nod almost always triumph in the primary, largely due to the thousands of Democratic committeepeople who distribute "sample ballots" listing the endorsed candidates to voters walking into the polls.

City party leaders talk openly about how to get their endorsement: Do free legal work for ward leaders and other people connected to Democratic politics. And wait your turn by not running for a seat on the bench until the party has a slot for you.

"Basically, when you get involved in politics, there's always someone who needs something, something pro bono, as far as legal help," said Sharon Vaughn, a former City Council member and the Democratic leader of the 42nd Ward who said she championed Page's candidacy among party leaders. "He has not been afraid to jump in and getting to know some of the politicians and making contributions to their wards."

Page, 52, is one of four Democrats running in the May 20 primary for three open seats on the Municipal Court, which hears low-level cases including crimes with potential sentences of five years or less, landlord-tenant disputes, civil suits up to $12,000 in claims, and some tax delinquency cases. The job comes with a $222,000 annual salary. Judges serve six-year terms, but almost always win reelection because they run in "retention" elections in which they face no opponents.

The other candidates are Cortez Patton, Amanda Davidson, Sherrie Cohen, and Qawi Abdul-Rahman. Alongside Page, the party endorsed Patton and Davidson. The Bar, the professional organization for attorneys, rated Davidson as "recommended" and all other candidates as "not recommended."

'Not just about favors'

Page, who grew up in Southwest Philadelphia, attended Cabrini College and the Widener University School of Law, and was a law clerk for well-known Philadelphia defense attorney Nino V. Tinari, according to Page's professional biography.

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who since 1986 has chaired the Democratic City Committee, said the party vetted Page, including looking into the case that resulted in Page's disciplinary citation and his tax delinquency.

"This kid's a good kid. He really is," Brady said Monday. "We talked to his law firm. The IRS gave him $60,000 in penalties and he did that and he's got an agreement with them."

Brady added: "Very articulate, very good-looking, very well-dressed."

The City Committee is made of all 69 Democratic ward leaders, and it decides whose names make it onto the party's coveted sample ballots. Vaughn, whose ward is based in North Philadelphia, said she vouched for Page due to "his dedication to helping people in the community and to giving back."

Vaughn said that evaluating judicial candidates based on the legal work they do for the party and those connected to it is "not just about favors." It also, she said, gives party leaders a window into how the candidates operate as attorneys, she said.

"One of my committeepeople, she had a problem with workers' compensation. Another individual had an issue where it was a domestic situation," Vaughn said, listing cases Page had worked on. "And I'm not the only one. I basically heard some other stories from other ward leaders and politicians who have utilized his services where he has come out victorious. He's an excellent attorney."

Over the past year, Page donated $500 to the Democratic City Committee. His personal law practice, which is separate from Mincey Fitzpatrick, gave $1,000 to the 38th Ward in East Falls, where he lives. He also donated at least $1,200 in small payments to nine different elected officials, including City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and Sheriff Rochelle Bilal.

He has received endorsements from major unions and notable Democratic elected officials, including Johnson, State Sen. Sharif Street, the AFL-CIO, and many of the building trades unions.

But Page said he is not a politico.

"I'm the least political person you'll ever find running for office," Page said. "I'm not a politician. I'm just a guy raised in Southwest Philadelphia."

'Failed to provide competent representation'

In 2014, cab driver Anthony Whaley was arrested for allegedly dealing drugs out of the back of his taxi while parked in Darby, Pa. In 2018, he was convicted and sentenced to spend six to 15 years in prison.

While incarcerated, Whaley sought an appeal, paying $2,500 to Page to press his case that he had been illegally searched.

But Whaley's appeal was thrown out in 2019 because Page failed to file a brief laying out Whaley's case, according to court records. Page later sought to withdraw from the case, and was replaced by another attorney.

The 2021 order publicly reprimanding Page found that he had "failed to provide competent representation" to Whaley. The order also makes it clear that Page kept Whaley's money in spite of the ordeal, only refunding his $2,500 retainer after the Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel launched an investigation that resulted in the 2021 citation, noting four instances in which Page violated the Rules of Professional Conduct.

Attempts to reach Whaley were unsuccessful.

Page declined to discuss the case in detail and said he didn't wish to "speak ill" about the disciplinary board or "make excuses."

"I respected their decision," he said. "It happened."

Despite that incident, Page said he was qualified for the bench.

"I do very good work," he said. "I've handled thousands of cases, and yes, it was a mishap on one case."

But the Whaley case does not appear to be the only one in which meeting filing deadlines have affected Page's clients.

Records show that six Superior Court cases in which Page was listed as an attorney were thrown out due to missing briefs. Another six were tossed due to missing docket statements, a routine piece of bureaucratic paperwork.

Page did not respond to a request for comment on additional cases, which The Inquirer discovered following its initial interview with him.

In the interview, Page declined to comment on his "not recommended" rating from the Bar Association. The group says it bases its ratings on "legal ability, experience, temperament, administrative ability, integrity and devotion to improvement of the quality of justice."

As for his tax issues, Page said they resulted from "some delinquent taxes."

"We're in the process of resolving it. There's a payment plan," he said. "I do good work, and I would be a good judge if the people decide to elect me."