Two weeks after a court-appointed family court lawyer was indicted by a federal grand jury for alleged tax evasion, Lackawanna County President Judge Thomas M. Munley testified before the same grand jury.

Even though grand jury witnesses are free to discuss their testimony, Judge Munley said after his appearance that he was ordered to remain silent by the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts, the bureaucratic arm of the state Supreme Court.

That is highly unfortunate because there is very much for the courts to disclose to the people of Lackawanna County.

The indicted court official is Danielle Ross Pietralczyk, who as guardian ad litem represents children in some custody disputes. According to the indictment, she allegedly failed to report payments she had received from parents.

Those charges are not the only alleged irregularities regarding the family court. In October 2011 court administrator Ronald Mackay fired former President Judge Chester Harhut's law clerks, Judith Lettieri and Patricia Rieder, days after they were subpoenaed to testify before the same grand jury that later indicted Ms. Ross Pietralczyk.

Judge Munley, who succeeded Judge Harhut as president judge, reinstated both clerks a few weeks later. The AOPC, the same agency that instructed Judge Munley to be silent, agreed in May to pay $29,855 to Ms. Rieder and $22,000 to Ms. Lettieri, all without explanation.

All of these developments require public explanation from the AOPC and the local court, not the silence that has been draped over the matter. As it stands, this is just another case in which federal investigators are left to unravel a local mess.