Betsy Wahl
Betsy Wahl (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She assumed office on January 3, 2022. Her current term ends on January 5, 2032.
Wahl (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She won in the general election on November 2, 2021.
Education
Wahl received an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. Below is a summary of Wahl's professional experience.[1]
- 2002-Present: Juvenile court master
- 1999-2002: Adjunct professor of law, Temple University and Cabrini College
- 1994-1999: Mediator, Philadelphia Family Court Custody Program
- 1984-1989: Attorney, Defender Association of Philadelphia
- 1981-1984: Harvard University Prisoner Assistance Program[1]
Elections
2021
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judges Gary S. Glazer, James Murray Lynn, Arnold L. New, and Robert J. Rebstock filed to run for retention in 2021, but later withdrew.[2] As a result, eight seats on the court were up in the primary election, but 12 seats were up in the general election on November 2, 2021. The Democratic Party nominated candidates Monica Gibbs, Leanne Litwin, Mark Moore, and John Sabatina Jr. to run for the additional four seats in the general election.[3][4]
See also: City elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2021)
General election
General election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (12 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Wendi Barish (D) | 8.9 | 154,312 | |
| ✔ | Nick Kamau (D) | 8.8 | 153,790 | |
| ✔ | Michele Hangley (D) | 8.7 | 151,677 | |
| ✔ |  | Chris Hall (D)  | 8.7 | 150,829 |
| ✔ | Cateria McCabe (D) | 8.7 | 150,727 | |
| ✔ |  | Betsy Wahl (D) | 8.6 | 149,577 |
| ✔ |  | Mark Moore (D) | 8.2 | 142,964 |
| ✔ |  | Daniel Sulman (D) | 8.2 | 142,625 |
| ✔ | Craig Levin (D) | 8.1 | 141,424 | |
| ✔ | Monica Gibbs (D) | 8.0 | 139,573 | |
| ✔ |  | John Sabatina Jr. (D) | 7.6 | 132,348 |
| ✔ | Leanne Litwin (D) | 7.3 | 127,834 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 3,877 | ||
| Total votes: 1,741,557 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (12 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on May 18, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Nick Kamau | 9.5 | 103,129 | |
| ✔ | Wendi Barish | 9.3 | 100,441 | |
| ✔ | Cateria McCabe | 9.0 | 97,570 | |
| ✔ | | Betsy Wahl | 8.2 | 88,302 |
| ✔ | | Chris Hall | 8.0 | 86,610 |
| ✔ | Michele Hangley | 7.1 | 76,359 | |
| ✔ | Craig Levin | 6.9 | 74,215 | |
| ✔ | | Daniel Sulman | 6.8 | 73,017 |
 | Caroline Turner | 6.7 | 72,066 | |
| Mark Moore | 5.9 | 63,510 | |
 | Tamika Washington | 5.8 | 63,090 | |
| Terri Booker | 4.8 | 52,270 | ||
| John Padova Jr. | 4.7 | 50,506 | ||
| Maurice Houston | 2.8 | 29,864 | ||
| Rick Cataldi | 2.3 | 24,632 | ||
 | Patrick Moran | 2.3 | 24,305 | |
| Total votes: 1,079,886 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Peter Bryant (D)
- Christian DiCicco (D)
- Lopez T. Thompson (D)
- Sherrie Cohen (D)
- Rania Major (D)
2015
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2015
Pennsylvania's judicial elections included a primary on May 19, 2015, and a general election on November 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates was March 11, 2015.
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary.
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
The 439 judges of the court of common pleas are elected to 10-year terms in partisan elections. Candidates may cross-file with both political parties for the partisan primaries, which are followed by general elections where the primary winners from each party compete.[5][6] Judges must run in yes-no retention elections if they wish to continue serving after their first term. A separate part of the ballot is designated for these elections, and judges' names appear without respect to party affiliation.[5][7]
- The president judge of each Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas is chosen by either peer vote or seniority, depending on the size of the court. Statewide, all courts composed of more than seven individuals must select their chief judge by peer vote. Those with seven or fewer members select their chief by seniority.[5][8]
Qualifications
To serve on an appellate or general jurisdiction court, a judge must:[5]
- have state residence for at least one year;
- be a district resident for at least one year (for common pleas judges);
- be a member of the state bar; and
- be under the age of 75.
While retirement at 75 is mandatory, judges may apply for senior judge status. Senior judges may serve as such until the last day of the calendar year in which they turn 78.[8]
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Betsy Wahl did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Betsy Wahl campaign website, "About Betsy," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "DECLARATIONS OF CANDIDACY FILED BY INCUMBENT JUDGES FOR RETENTION IN 2021," accessed October 20, 2021
- ↑ Philadelphia 3.0, "‘MAGIC SEAT’ JUDGES AND THE BROKEN CHAIN OF PARTY ACCOUNTABILITY," September 10, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Municipal and Special Election Philadelphia County," November 2, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Pennsylvania," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ The Morning Call, "Ban Cross-filing As One Step," January 24, 1985
- ↑ The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, "In Re: Nomination Papers of Marakay Rogers, Christina Valente and Carl J. Romanelli," November 7, 2006
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Pennsylvania Code, "Chapter 7. Assignment of Judges," accessed September 3, 2014
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