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Michael Thatcher
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2030
Michael Thatcher is a judge for District Court 05-2-16 of the Allegheny County Magisterial District Court in Pennsylvania. Thatcher's current term ends on January 7, 2030.
Thatcher ran for re-election for the District Court 05-2-16 judge of the Allegheny County Magisterial District Court in Pennsylvania. Thatcher won in the general election on November 7, 2017.
Elections
2017
Pennsylvania held local judicial elections on November 7, 2017. A primary election occurred on May 16, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 7, 2017. Candidates and recently appointed judges of the Courts of Common Pleas must initially run in partisan elections. Subsequent terms are won through retention elections. Elections for the Magisterial District Courts are always partisan. Pennsylvania allows cross-filing for candidates running in partisan elections. Most candidates run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries.[1]
Michael Thatcher (Democratic/Republican) ran unopposed in the general election for the Allegheny County Magisterial District 05-02-16.[2]
| Allegheny County Magisterial District 05-02-16, General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican |  Michael Thatcher (unopposed) |
98.92% | 4,752 | |
| Write-in votes | 1.08% | 52 | ||
| Total Votes | 4,804 | |||
| Source: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, "2017 General Election Results," November 29, 2017 | ||||
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for the Allegheny County Magisterial District 05-02-16.[3]
| Allegheny County Magisterial District 05-02-16, Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michael Thatcher |
35.24% | 868 |
| Andy Codelka | 23.30% | 574 |
| John Puskar | 17.82% | 439 |
| D. Scott Lautner | 12.10% | 298 |
| Cynthia O'Donnell | 7.55% | 186 |
| Howard Murphy | 3.94% | 97 |
| Write-in votes | 0.04% | 1 |
| Total Votes | 2,463 | |
| Source: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, "Official Primary Results," accessed August 11, 2017 | ||
Michael Thatcher defeated Andy Codelka, D. Scott Lautner, and John Puskar in the Republican primary for the Allegheny County Magisterial District 05-02-16.[4]
| Allegheny County Magisterial District 05-02-16, Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michael Thatcher |
60.28% | 1,070 |
| Andy Codelka | 22.48% | 399 |
| D. Scott Lautner | 12.34% | 219 |
| John Puskar | 4.17% | 74 |
| Write-in votes | 0.73% | 13 |
| Total Votes | 1,775 | |
| Source: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, "Official Primary Results," accessed August 11, 2017 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
Judges of the Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts are selected in partisan elections. They serve six-year terms. After their initial term, magistrates must run for new terms in contested races.[5][6]
Qualifications
A judge must be:
- a local resident for at least one year;[6]
- a state bar member;*
- no younger than 21; and
- no older than 75.
*Magisterial district judges may alternatively pass a training course to sidestep the bar member requirement.[6]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed February 23, 2017
- ↑ "Allegheny County municipal election results, 2017 primary," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, "Running for Office," accessed April 11, 2017
- ↑ Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, "Running for Office," accessed April 11, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Courts, "How Judges Are Elected," accessed July 22, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Pennsylvania; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 3, 2014
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