HARRISBURG -- Commonwealth Court today issued its long-awaited decision on the independent presidential candidacy of Ralph Nader, ordering the consumer advocate off the ballot in Pennsylvania.

The court said it had reviewed 51,273 petition signatures submitted by Nader campaign workers and found only 18,818 were valid -- far short of the 25,697 valid names he needed to run for president in Pennsylvania.

Commonwealth Court ruled in favor of eight objectors, most of whom were from the Pittsburgh area, who had gone to court after criticizing the validity of thousands of petition signatures that Nader had turned in to the state in August in an effort to get a spot on the ballot.

Democratic Party officials were also upset by the Nader petitions, claiming that many signatures appeared spurious.

In his lengthy opinion, President Judge James Gardner Colins said he has served longer on Commonwealth Court than any judge in the court's history and has reviewed more nominating petitions than any other judge in the court's history. That set up the following statement from the judge:

"I am compelled to emphasize that this signature-gathering process was the most deceitful and fraudulent exercise ever perpetrated upon this court." He said the conduct of the candidates, Nader and running mate Peter Camejo, "shocks the conscience of the court."

Colins noted hat the names on the petitions included Mickey Mouse, Fred Flintstone and John Kerry.

Democrats were cheered by the decision because they feared Nader would siphon votes from people unhappy with President Bush -- votes that likely will go to Democratic challenger John Kerry if Nader isn't on the ballot in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania, with 21 electoral votes, is considered an important swing state in the presidential election, where Republican Bush and Democrat Kerry are running a close race.

The Commonwealth Court's decision, however, leads to an important question -- what happens in several counties throughout the state, including large ones such as Allegheny, Philadelphia and Montgomery, where absentee ballots have already been mailed out with Nader's name on them? Will a second ballot, one without Nader's name, have to be sent out to those voters?

Allegheny County sent out between 25,000 and 30,000 absentee ballots last week, said county Elections Division Manager Mark Wolosik, who was checking with county lawyers today on how to proceed.

The ballots were sent out last week, he said, because "there was a possibility that the voters wouldn't receive their ballot and have a chance to complete it and return it by the deadline'' of 5 p.m. Oct. 29.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.