This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

The Pennsylvania supreme court has dismissed thousands of juvenile convictions issued by a judge charged in a corruption scandal.

The high court today threw out more than five years worth of cases heard by former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella. He is charged with accepting millions of dollars in kickbacks to send youths to private detention centres.

The court says that all the convictions are tainted and that the youths may not be retried.

The Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Centre represents some of the youths and says the court's order covers more than 6,000 cases.