HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A state appeals court says a judge didn't make a mistake when he denied a couple's request to have a courtroom interpreter for their native tongue, Pennsylvania Dutch.
A Commonwealth Court panel ruled Friday against Joseph and Barbara Yoder, who had each been fined $300 for the summary offense of failing to connect to the public sewage system in Warren County.
The ruling says the Yoders exhibited a sufficient grasp of English in the court documents they filed and at trial.
Pennsylvania court rules require an interpreter if a judge determines the parties have a limited ability to speak or understand English.
The appeals court also upheld the guilty verdict. A phone listing couldn't be located for the couple, who live in Sugar Grove, near the New York line.
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