State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, said he welcomed [Tom Corbett]'s interest in reversing the NCAA's "rush to judgment" against Penn State, but wondered: "Does the lawsuit have merit or is this just politics?"

John Hanger, a Democrat challenging Corbett's re-election in 2014, called Corbett's handling of the child-sex abuse case "a fiasco," and said no actions or lawsuits could "undo the damage he has done to Penn State and other state universities."

"It's either an absolutely brilliant move politically or it ends up being a political quagmire for him," [G. Terry Madonna] said. "It's hard to figure out if it's going to be a disaster."