Suspended state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin is asking that court to appoint an out-of-county judge to hear her political corruption case.
 
The 56-year-old Marshall Township jurist's preliminary hearing has been postponed from July 9th to July 30th. She's charged with illegally using her former taxpayer-funded Superior Court staff to work on her 2003 and 2009 campaigns for a seat on the state's highest court.
 
Melvin's hearing was previously delayed so an Allegheny County judge could rule on her motion to keep other county judges from presiding over her case. Melvin wants an out-of-county judge because a key witness against her, Melvin's former law clerk, is married to a county judge.
 
That motion was denied last week, which is why Melvin has asked the Supreme Court to consider appointing an out-of-county judge.