Brian Mclaughlin

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Brian McLaughlin

Democratic Party

Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas

Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2034

Years in position

1

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

La Salle University, 1990

Personal

Birthplace

Philadelphia, Pa.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Judge

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Brian McLaughlin (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. He assumed office on January 1, 2024. His current term ends on January 2, 2034.

McLaughlin (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

McLaughlin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brian McLaughlin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree from La Salle University in 1990. His background includes twenty-five years of courtroom experience as a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney and dependency law attorney.

McLaughlin has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• The Elks Lodge
• Ancient Order of Hibernians

Elections

2023

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judges Genece E. Brinkley, Joel S. Johnson, and Rayford A. Means filed to run for retention in 2023 but later withdrew. As a result, 10 seats on the court were up in the primary election, but 13 seats were up in the general election on November 7, 2023. The Democratic Party nominated candidates James Eisenhower, Elvin Ross, and Raj Sandher to run for the additional three seats in the general election.

See also: City elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2023)

General election

General election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (13 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tamika Washington (D)	9.5	204,468
✔		Natasha Taylor-Smith (D)	9.4	201,305
✔		Samantha Williams (D)	8.9	190,770
✔		Kay Yu (D)	8.6	184,310
✔		Brian McLaughlin (D)	8.4	181,161
✔	Submit photo	Chesley Lightsey (D)	8.2	175,248
✔	Submit photo	John Padova Jr. (D)	7.7	165,392
✔		Jessica Brown (D)	7.2	155,170
✔		Caroline Turner (D)	7.1	152,850
✔	Submit photo	Damaris Garcia (D)	6.6	141,108
✔	Submit photo	James Eisenhower (D)	6.5	138,927
✔	Submit photo	Elvin Ross (D)	6.0	128,519
✔	Submit photo	Raj Sandher (D)	5.8	124,315
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	3,961

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,147,504
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (13 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Natasha Taylor-Smith	10.3	145,242
✔		Tamika Washington	9.3	130,896
✔		Samantha Williams	8.6	121,340
✔		Kay Yu	7.8	109,961
✔	Submit photo	John Padova Jr.	7.2	100,946
✔	Submit photo	Chesley Lightsey	6.5	91,646
✔		Brian McLaughlin	6.2	87,367
✔	Submit photo	Damaris Garcia	6.2	86,824
✔		Caroline Turner	6.1	86,095
✔		Jessica Brown	5.8	81,517
		Will Braveman	5.6	78,447
		Wade Albert	5.5	78,124
		Kenneth Joel	5.0	69,900
	Submit photo	Qawi Abdul-Rahman	3.9	54,810
	Submit photo	Melissa Francis	3.5	48,868
	Submit photo	Joe Green	2.7	38,524
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	865

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,411,372
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• MK Feeney (D)
• Colleen McIntyre Osborne (D)
• Aaron Bell (D)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McLaughlin in this election.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brian McLaughlin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McLaughlin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was appointed Judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas by Governor Wolf in July of 2022. I preside in a court that deals with one of the most sensitive and challenging issues of our society- the welfare of our abused and neglected children. My job is to keep families together. In my courtroom, every child has a voice as well as every parent. Prior to being appointed judge, I have over twenty five years of legal experience. I was a Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney for five years and a civil insurance defense attorney for two years. Over the past eighteen years I had my own legal practice where I concentrated in the areas of adult and juvenile criminal defense and dependency law, which is what I preside over now as a judge. All of my legal experience provides me with the knowledge to be an exemplary judge. As to my character, I apply a common sense and compassionate approach to my job. I treat every child in my courtroom as if they were my own. I love my job and I humbly ask for your support to keep doing it for a full term.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I have the legal experience.
• I treat all parties who appear before me with the proper respect that they deserve. Every person has a voice in my courtroom.
• I truly care about what I do in the courtroom.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The right of all parties appearing before a court to have competent representation. If a party cannot afford their own representation, a court should be able to appoint counsel free of charge.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I possess the qualities of patience, common sense, empathy and respect for all individuals without reference to their race, creed, national origin or background.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities for a Common Pleas Court judge is to know the law and be familiar with courtroom rules and procedure, which my legal experience provides. An additional responsibility of a judge is to apply this knowledge fairly and equally to all individuals appearing in court. A judge should not allow any of their biases, whether implicit or outright, to affect their decision making process.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I sold newspapers. It was a summer job I had for three months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I remember this was one of the first classic books I read in my freshman summer high school reading program.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Yes, I believe that empathy is a required quality for a judge.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

Yes. I am recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in order to allow me to continue to do my work caring for vulnerable children and helping families stay together. I love my job as a judge and wish to continue it with a full term.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Philadelphia Democratic City Committee, Philadelphia AFL-CIO, AFSCME DC 47, AFSCME DC 33, Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, Plumbers Local 690.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2023 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas

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Footnotes

Pennsylvania courts

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Federal courts:

Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania

State courts:

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts

State resources:

Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania