| Jane Clare Orie | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 40th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office April 3, 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Melissa Hart |
| Constituency | Parts of Allegheny and Butler Counties |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 28th district |
|
| In office January 7, 1997[1] – April 3, 2001[2] |
|
| Preceded by | Elaine Farmer |
| Succeeded by | Mike Turzai |
| Constituency | Part of Allegheny County |
| Republican Whip of the Pennsylvania Senate |
|
| In office January 2, 2007 – April 7, 2010[3] |
|
| Preceded by | Jeff Piccola |
| Succeeded by | Pat Browne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 18, 1961 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | McCandless Township, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Website | www.senatororie.com |
Jane Clare Orie is an American politician who currently serves in the Pennsylvania State Senate. She represents the 40th senate district, including portions of Allegheny County and Butler County. She is a Republican. She was the Majority Whip in the Senate until April 7, 2010, when she stepped down from that post following her indictment on criminal charges.
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Orie was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a prominent western Pennsylvania political family. Her sister Joan Orie Melvin was a judge on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and is now serving as a Justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She earned her B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College in 1984 and her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law in 1987. Prior to elective office, Orie served as an assistant district attorney in Allegheny County and later as a deputy state attorney general.
In 1996, Orie ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 28th House District after incumbent representative Elaine Farmer dropped off the ballot to fight bone marrow cancer.[4] Orie won that November and won re-election in 1998 and 2000. [5]
In 2000, State Senator Melissa Hart was elected to the United States House of Representatives and resigned her Senate seat. In a special election Orie was the GOP nominee against Democrat James Rooney, a grandson of late Pittsburgh Steelers owner, Art Rooney. A key issue in that race was public funding for the new Steelers stadium, Heinz Field, which was unpopular in parts of the county. Orie tried to tie Rooney to this unpopular issue, even running a television advertisement depicting the implosion of Three Rivers Stadium. [6] Orie defeated Rooney with 59% in the election on March 11, 2001 and was seated on April 3, 2001. Orie won re-election in 2002 and 2006, both times taking more than 70% against minimal opposition. [7] [8]
In May 2006, Robert Jubelirer and David Brightbill, the Republicans' two top leaders were defeated in the primary election, victims of the legislative pay raise fallout. Senator Jeffrey Piccola left his post as whip to run for President Pro Tempore. This opened the door for Orie who defeated Sen. John Gordner for the position. [9]
Authorities seized thousands of computer records from one of Orie's district offices in mid-December 2009, as part of an investigation conducted by Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala, Jr. Zappala would not disclose to the public a reason for investigating Orie. [1]
A story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette alleged that the core of the investigation involves the employment of one of her district offices for campaign purposes. [2]
Orie has hired criminal defense lawyer Jerry McDevitt to handle her defense [3].
The Post-Gazette subsequently reported that a University of Pittsburgh student intern had told prosecutors of widespread political campaigning inside the office on behalf of Orie's sister, Judge Melvin. The story also revealed the Orie's chief of staff had begun cooperating with investigators [4].
In April 2010, an Allegheny County grand jury indicted Orie and her sister, Janine Orie, on multiple charges of corruption. Pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 19, both defendants were released on their own recognizance, but they are prohibited from having non-business contacts with any of the witnesses in the case.[5]
A trial date of Feb. 7, 2011 has been set for the criminal trial of Sen. Orie and her sister, Janine. [6] However, Judge Jeffrey Manning declared a mistrial for both the Senator and her sister upon learning that evidence submitted by the defense had been doctored.[10] A new trial date has been set for April 11, although Senator Orie's lawyer has announced his intent to appeal the decision on the grounds that it would be trying the senator for the same crime twice.[11]
Under Senate rules, a member who is charged with an offense related to his or her official duties must vacate any leadership position. Accordingly, following her indictment, Orie resigned from her position as whip in the Republican caucus.[12]