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Judges appointed by Tom Wolf
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This page lists judges appointed by Tom Wolf (D) during his term as Governor of Pennsylvania. As of today, the total number of Wolf appointees was 39. For the full profile of Wolf, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Pennsylvania judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Wolf.
Appointment process
In Pennsylvania, the governor makes judicial appointments. Before a newly appointed judge can join a court, however, the Pennsylvania Senate must confirm the judge with a two-thirds vote.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court |
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court |
2016 - Present |
Other State Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
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Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court |
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Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court |
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Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court |
January 7, 2020 - January 3, 2022 |
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Pennsylvania Superior Court |
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Pennsylvania Superior Court |
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Pennsylvania Superior Court |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas |
2016 - Present |
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|
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas |
February 21, 2020 - Present |
|
|
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas |
July 20, 2022 - January 1, 2024 |
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Allegheny County Magisterial District Court 05-2-35 |
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Berks County Court of Common Pleas |
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Bucks County Court of Common Pleas |
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Bucks County Court of Common Pleas |
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Bucks County Court of Common Pleas |
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Carbon County Magisterial District Court 56-3-01 |
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Cumberland County Magisterial District Court 09-2-02 |
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Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas |
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Dauphin County Magisterial District Court 12-1-04 |
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Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas |
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Lackawanna County Magisterial District Court |
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Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas |
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Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas |
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Northampton County Magisterial District Court 03-3-03 |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
August 19, 2016 - Present |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
December 18, 2019 - January 3, 2022 |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
December 18, 2019 - Present |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
December 18, 2019 - Present |
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Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
June 30, 2020 - Present |
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Washington County Court of Common Pleas |
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Westmoreland County Magisterial District Court 10-2-09 |
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York County Court of Common Pleas |
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|
York County Court of Common Pleas |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
| Judicial selection in Pennsylvania | |
 | |
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 10 years |
| Pennsylvania Superior Court | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 10 years |
| Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 10 years |
| Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 10 years |
| Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Pennsylvania, including:
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court,
- Pennsylvania Superior Court,
- Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, the selection of state court judges in Pennsylvania occurred through partisan elections.[2] According to the Pennsylvania Constitution, judges' terms begin and end on the first Monday in January following their election.[3]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[4] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[5] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[6] | 1[7] | 17[8] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Pennsylvania | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 12,791,904 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 44,743 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 81.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 11% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3.1% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 6.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 28.6% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,599 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Pennsylvania. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Pennsylvania voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in Pennsylvania, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Pennsylvania had one Retained Pivot County and two Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 0.55 and 8.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Pennsylvania coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Pennsylvania
- United States congressional delegations from Pennsylvania
- Public policy in Pennsylvania
- Endorsers in Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Pennsylvania," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Courts, "How Judges Are Elected," accessed July 22, 2015
- ↑ State of Pennsylvania, "Pennsylvania Constitution: Section 13: Election of Justices, Judges and Justices of the Peace; Vacancies," accessed August 30, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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
