The state Supreme Court has denied suspended Justice Joan Orie Melvin's request for an out-of-county judge to hear her political corruption case.
 
The court issued an order late Tuesday denying a request by Melvin to keep Allegheny County judges from hearing her case. Melvin is charged with illegally using her taxpayer-funded Superior Court staff to work on her 2003 and 2009 campaigns for a seat on the state's highest court.
 
Melvin sought an out-of-county judge because one Allegheny County judge is married to a key prosecution witness. When her motion was denied on the county level Melvin sought relief from her colleagues on the state Supreme Court.
 
The Pittsburgh-area jurist's preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 30th.