Jaime Hickton

Jaime Hickton (Democratic Party) is running for election for judge of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. She advanced from the Democratic primary on May 20, 2025.

Hickton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jaime Hickton was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned a high school diploma from Bethel Park High School, a bachelor's degree from Seton Hill University in 2006, and a law degree from the Duquesne University School of Law in 2013. Her career experience includes working as an attorney and business owner.^[1]

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas (8 seats)

The following candidates are running in the general election for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Heather Schmidt Bresnahan (D)
		Quita Bridges (D)
		Amanda Green-Hawkins (D)
		Jaime Hickton (D)
		Matthew Rudzki (D)
	Submit photo	Julie Capone (D / R)
	Submit photo	Anthony DeLuca (D / R)
		Dan Miller (D / R)
		Alyssa Cowan (R)
		Bryan Neft (R)
	Submit photo	Jackie Obara (R)
		Michele Santicola (R)
	Submit photo	Sarra Terry (R)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas (8 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on May 20, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amanda Green-Hawkins	9.0	93,877
✔		Dan Miller	7.7	80,797
✔		Quita Bridges	7.7	80,713
✔	Submit photo	Julie Capone	7.5	78,093
✔	Submit photo	Anthony DeLuca	7.3	76,295
✔		Heather Schmidt Bresnahan	7.0	72,780
✔		Jaime Hickton	6.1	64,112
✔		Matthew Rudzki	5.5	57,354
		Alyssa Cowan	5.3	55,302
		Lauren Leiggi	4.1	42,586
	Submit photo	Amy Mathieu	3.7	38,708
		Michele Santicola	3.2	33,416
	Submit photo	Carmen Robinson	3.0	31,480
	Submit photo	Sarra Terry	2.9	30,439
		Bryan Neft	2.7	28,661
		Ilan Zur	2.7	28,566
	Submit photo	Craig Stephens	2.7	27,713
	Submit photo	Hilary Wheatley	2.6	27,488
		Mike Sullivan	2.6	27,277
	Submit photo	Elizabeth Hughes	2.5	26,114
	Submit photo	Jackie Obara	2.4	25,210
	Submit photo	Dennis Very	1.4	15,081
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,437

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 1,043,499
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas (8 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on May 20, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Julie Capone	16.7	32,612
✔		Michele Santicola	16.0	31,361
✔	Submit photo	Jackie Obara	15.2	29,854
✔	Submit photo	Sarra Terry	14.1	27,547
✔		Dan Miller	12.4	24,289
✔		Alyssa Cowan	11.1	21,655
✔	Submit photo	Anthony DeLuca (Write-in)	3.3	6,397
✔		Bryan Neft (Write-in)	3.1	6,138
	Submit photo	Dennis Very (Write-in)	3.1	6,001
		Ilan Zur (Write-in)	3.0	5,792
		Other/Write-in votes	2.1	4,148

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 195,794
= 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.
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Endorsements

Hickton received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

Jaime Hickton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hickton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in a blue-collar blended family and I was raised as the only daughter with five brothers. I put myself through college and, for law school, I attended an evening law school program while working full-time as a juvenile probation officer. My wife and I are raising my three children (two of which are special needs) that I adopted from the child welfare system (I was a foster parent). I'm someone who has always fought for people who can't fight for themselves and I'm deeply invested in advancing the interests of marginalized and at-risk individuals. I worked in public service for most of my career and, even in my personal life, I've committed a substantial part of my life to working directly with people involved in the system to help them navigate the system successfully and to help them stay out of the system in their future. I am running for judge because I believe in upholding justice with fairness, integrity and compassion. Having seen firsthand how the legal system impacts people's lives as a juvenile probation officer for seven years and a foster parent who adopted special needs children from the child welfare system, I want to ensure that every individual who comes before the court is treated with dignity and respect and receives a fair hearing. I bring with me a strong understanding of the law, a commitment to impartiality, and a desire to serve my community.

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?

As a lesbian, I have confronted discrimination in my personal life and I believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect; regardless of where you come from, who you love, who you pray to, or what struggles you face. My goal is to create a judicial environment where justice is not "done," but is seen to be done, and where people can trust that their case with be handled with the utmost care and compassion.
I believe that, to reduce prison and jail overcrowding and decrease incarceration rates, courts can implement several strategies that focus on rehabilitation, alternative sentencing, and diversion programs. Courts must work with local law enforcement and mental health professionals to divert individuals with mental health issues, substance abuse problems, or non-violent offenses into treatment programs instead of incarcerating them. This includes options like drug courts, mental health courts, and veterans' courts that provide specialized support and rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Restorative justice should be the core of what any justice system produces. Since my time as a juvenile probation officer and even now as a criminal defense attorney, I have always focused my efforts on identifying underlying issues and unmet needs to address the root cause(s) of system involvement. Restorative justice seeks to understand the "why" of system involvement and to then focus on providing services and support to help people receive the necessary help so they can get out of the system and avoid being involved in the future. If elected, I would strive to understand that "why" in each case and implement restorative justice principles.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

child welfare, juvenile justice, economic equality, public safety, women's healthcare, and civil rights.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

There are many characteristics and principles that are important for judges, however, I believe the four areas covered below are the most important. Judges must demonstrate impartiality and fairness. They must be neutral arbiters who decide cases based on the law, not personal beliefs, political pressures, or public opinion. They should avoid conflicts of interest and ensure equal treatment for all parties, regardless of background.

Judge should exhibit legal expertise and competence. They must have a strong grasp of statutory law, case law, and procedural rules is essential. Lastly, judges must be able to analyze complex legal issues and apply precedent correctly.

Judicial temperance is also critical. Judges must have patience, respect, and professionalism when dealing with attorneys, litigants, and witnesses. The ability to stay calm under pressure, especially in emotionally charged cases.

Lastly, judges must have the utmost integrity and ethics. Judges should uphold the highest ethical standards, following judicial codes of conduct. Judges must avoid bias, corruption, and any actions that undermine public confidence in the judiciary.

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

Common Pleas Judges preside over cases that are assigned within the various court divisions in Allegheny County. For that purpose, judges manage the courtroom, conduct proceedings, and determine the schedule of those proceedings. During proceedings, judges interpret and apply the law and issue decisions, determine sentences (in criminal proceedings), and write opinions that explain their decisions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

While it is impossible to have everyone leave the courtroom happy and/or satisfied, I want to create an environment where every party leaves court and believes that they have been heard. That they've had a fair opportunity to present their case and that they've had an impartial judge consider the issues.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

September 11, 2001. 17 years old.

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

Empathy might be the most important quality for a judge.

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

Recommended by the Allegheny County Bar Association

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for judge because I believe in upholding justice with fairness, integrity and compassion. Having seen firsthand how the legal system impacts people's lives as a juvenile probation officer for seven years and a foster parent who adopted special needs children from the child welfare system, I want to ensure that every individual who comes before the court is treated with dignity and respect and receives a fair hearing. I bring with me a strong understanding of the law, a commitment to impartiality, and a desire to serve my community.

I've served my community in many ways from being a board member of Planned Parenthood of Western PA and Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, I've been a democratic committee member in my local community of Whitehall, I worked on numerous democratic campaigns to advance our core values by electing qualified candidates who want to help their constituents, and I've worked on a state-wide committee (Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee) where I worked with stakeholders across the Commonwealth to advance the goals and services of juvenile justice. My goal is to create a judicial environment where justice is not "done," but is seen to be done, and where people can trust that their case with be handled with the utmost care and compassion.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

While they can be a useful indicator of a candidates legal experience as determined by a particular group of the candidates peers (members of the Allegheny County Bar Association), they are subjective in that those making the determination are offering their personal opinion about that candidate. There is no mechanism for public input/consideration, and there is often a greater focus on the candidates time as a practicing attorney without always giving due consideration to other professional and/or personal experience within the legal field or profession.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Planned Parenthood PA PAC; Allegheny County Democratic Committee; Allegheny-Fayette County Labor Council; Congressman Chris Deluzio; PA State Senator Nick Pisciottano; Speaker of the PA House of Representatives, Joanna McClinton; PA State Rep. Emily Kinkead; PA State Rep. Anita Kulik; PA State Rep. Mandy Steele; PA State Rep. John Inglis; PA State Rep. Lindsay Powell; PA State Rep. Dan Goughnour; PA State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta; Pittsburgh City Controller Rachael Heisler; ATU Local 85; Teamsters Local 205; Teamsters Local 249; Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers; Eastern Regional Democratic Organization (ERDO); Pitt College Democrats; North Hills Progressives; Char Valley Democratic Chairs Committee; Steel City Stonewall Democrats.

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.

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Candidate

Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 1, 2025

Pennsylvania courts

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

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 1, 2025

[1]

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Jaime Hickton

Contents

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas (8 seats)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas (8 seats)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas (8 seats)

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

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