Rebecca L. Warren

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Rebecca L. Warren

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 21, 2019

Education

Bachelor's

Bloomsburg University, 1988

Law

Dickinson School of Law, 1991

Personal

Religion

Christian

Rebecca L. Warren (Republican Party) ran for election for judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. She lost in the Republican primary on May 21, 2019.

Warren ran for election to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015 but was defeated in the Republican primary on May 19, 2015.

Biography

Warren's professional experience includes serving as the district attorney of Montour County, Pennsylvania.

Education

Warren received a B.S. in political science from Bloomsburg University in 1988 and a J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law in 1991.

Career

• 2012-Present: District attorney, Montour County
• 2002-2011: Attorney, Warren Law Office
• 1999-2001: Assistant district attorney, Columbia County
• 1998-2000: Attorney, Seiple & Warren LLC
• 1991-1997: Partner, Harding, Irey & Warren
• 1989-1991: Law clerk, Judge Keith Quigley

Awards and associations

• Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association
• Commonwealth Club
• American Association of Prosecuting Attorneys
• National Sheriff’s Association
• National Association of Drug Court Professionals
• Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association
• Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Pennsylvania
• Vehicular Crimes Prosecutor Network
• Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
• Philanthropic Educational Organization
• National Rifle Association
• Pennsylvania State Police Camp Cadet

Elections

2019

See also: Pennsylvania intermediate appellate court elections, 2019

General election

General election for Pennsylvania Superior Court (2 seats)

Daniel D. McCaffery and Megan McCarthy King defeated Amanda Green-Hawkins and Christylee Peck in the general election for Pennsylvania Superior Court on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel D. McCaffery (D)	25.8	1,273,658
✔		Megan McCarthy King (R)	25.4	1,252,065
		Amanda Green-Hawkins (D)	25.1	1,235,827
		Christylee Peck (R)	23.7	1,166,201

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,927,751
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court (2 seats)

Amanda Green-Hawkins and Daniel D. McCaffery defeated Beth Tarasi Sinatra in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amanda Green-Hawkins	38.0	480,225
✔		Daniel D. McCaffery	32.2	407,660
		Beth Tarasi Sinatra	29.8	376,885

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,264,770
= 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

• Ryan James (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court (2 seats)

Megan McCarthy King and Christylee Peck defeated Rebecca L. Warren in the Republican primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Megan McCarthy King	35.6	370,084
✔		Christylee Peck	33.5	348,271
		Rebecca L. Warren	30.9	321,536

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,039,891
= 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.

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.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Three seats, Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Judith Olson	22.1%	177,199
Michael A. George	21.7%	173,683
Anne Covey	20.2%	161,680
Cheryl Lynn Allen	13.9%	111,112
Rebecca L. Warren	11.7%	93,688
Correale Stevens Incumbent	10.5%	83,815
Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes		801,177
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2015 Municipal Primary Unofficial Results," May 19, 2015

Recommendation

Warren was not recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association:

“

For most of her career, the Candidate worked as a civil litigator. She handled a variety of matters, including contract disputes, trusts and estates, family law matters, real estate and transactions. In 2011, she was elected district attorney of Montour County and presently serves in that capacity. For most of her tenure, she has been the only prosecutor for Montour County and has been supported by a small staff. While she has handled a broad range of civil and criminal matters, the Commission is concerned about the depth and breadth of her appellate-level experience. The Commission also has concerns about whether the Candidate currently possesses the temperament, collegiality and demeanor required of an appellate court judge. For these reasons, the Commission at this time does not recommend the Candidate for a seat on the Supreme Court.

”

In response, Warren said that she had expected this rating from the Pennsylvania Bar Association and questioned the fairness of its process.

“	As a prosecutor, I have earned a reputation for being a champion of victims’ rights and for not being swayed by others. The PBA is a liberal organization that has a history of supporting criminals and opposing prosecutors. In fact, last year I joined several other district attorneys from throughout the Commonwealth in an informal boycott of the PBA by the non-payment of dues to show solidarity for law enforcement and prosecutors.	”
—Rebecca Warren

Endorsements

• Pennsylvania District Attorneys

• Bill Higgins, Bedford County
• Pete Johnson, Union County
• Janine Edwards, Wayne County
• Dave Heckler, Bucks County
• Rich Goldinger, Butler County
• Tom Hogan, Chester County
• Tom Leipold, Columbia County
• Ed Marsico, Dauphin County
• Jack Whelan, Delaware County
• Eric Linhardt, Lycoming County
• Dave Arnold, Lebanon County
• Ann Targonski, Northumberland County
• Lisa Lazzari-Strasiser, Somerset County
• Len Simpson, Sullivan County
• Michael Piecuch, Snyder County

• Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

Race background

Three open seats were up for election on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015. Going into the primary, there were 12 candidates running for the court. One open seat was the result of the retirement of Chief Justice Ronald Castille in December 2014. The other two seats were made vacant by resignations. In May 2013, Justice Joan Orie Melvin resigned after her conviction for campaign corruption. The second resignation occurred in October 2014, when Justice Seamus P. McCaffery left the court due to both his implication in an FBI investigation involving the exchange of referral fees between his wife and several law firms, and his involvement in a scandal wherein sexually explicit emails were forwarded from his personal email account to court employees.

Justice Correale Stevens was appointed to the bench by Governor Tom Corbett (R) in June 2013 to replace Joan Orie Melvin. He ran unsuccessfully in 2015 to keep his seat on the court.

Campaign finances in the primary

May reporting period
The candidates for the May 19 primary had $2,127,498.74 in cash on hand as of the last pre-primary reporting period. Michael A. George (R) had the most cash on hand at $497,325.16, while Rebecca L. Warren (R) had the lowest total at $2,574.97. The biggest contribution during this reporting period was $50,000 from Ronald Caplan, president of PMC Property Group, to Democratic candidate Kevin M. Dougherty.

Pre-primary campaign finance, May 2015
Candidate	Party	Cash on hand ($)	Highest contribution ($)	Contributor(s)
Michael A. George	Republican	497,325.16	5,000	Friends of Rich Alloway
David N. Wecht	Democratic	450,877.64	20,000	Fairness PA
Kevin M. Dougherty	Democratic	422,421.91	50,000	Ronald Caplan, President, PMC Property Group
Anne Lazarus	Democratic	224,663.64	5,000	Fairness PA, Alan Ominsky
Anne Covey	Republican	149,229.72	25,000	Anthony & Catherine Misitano
John H. Foradora	Democratic	137,130.66	10,000	Monica Mitchell
Judith Olson	Republican	111,688.92	25,000	PA Future Fund
Christine Donohue	Democratic	53,299.01	10,000	Carpenters PAC of Philadelphia & Vicinity
Dwayne D. Woodruff	Democratic	42,129.39	5,000	Franco Harris, Former player, Pittsburgh Steelers Football Club
Correale Stevens	Republican	18,777.49	20,000	Alan H. Potamkin
Cheryl Lynn Allen	Republican	17,380.23	10,000	Fairness PA
Rebecca L. Warren	Republican	2,574.97	500	John Kasha

April reporting period
Three candidates reported campaign receipts exceeding $500,000 in finance reports filed on April 7. Kevin M. Dougherty (D) took the cash-on-hand lead with $584,666.22 in the bank, followed by David N. Wecht (D) at $546,220.24 and Michael A. George (R) at $508,459.63. Eight of the nine remaining primary candidates totaled approximately $898,000 on hand by early April, with Rebecca L. Warren (R) having a negative cash balance. The fundraising advantage through March rested with Democratic candidates, who totaled $1.94 million on hand compared to $595,000 for Republican candidates.

Pre-primary campaign finance, April 2015
Candidate	Party	Cash on hand ($)	Highest contribution ($)	Contributor(s)
Kevin M. Dougherty	Democratic	584,666.22	100,000	Local Union #98 I.B.E.W. Committee On Political Education
David N. Wecht	Democratic	546,220.24	25,000	Daniel Berger, Attorney
Michael A. George	Republican	508,459.63	500,000	Gary Lowenthal, Founder, Boyds Bears
John H. Foradora	Democratic	391,074.05	100,000	John H. Foradora
Anne Lazarus	Democratic	262,093.08	75,000	Anne Lazarus
Christine Donohue	Democratic	184,727.00	5,000	Commonwealth Heritage PAC, I.B.E.W. Local 5, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel and 13 individual donors
Anne Covey	Republican	56,540.38	25,000	PA Future Fund
Correale Stevens	Republican	44,101.58	5,000	Pennsylvania Society of Physicians Assistants, Gillespie, Miscavige, Ferdinand & Baranko LLC and four individual donors
Dwayne D. Woodruff	Democratic	29,514.80	5,000	Arthur J. Rooney II, President, Pittsburgh Steelers Football Club
Cheryl Lynn Allen	Republican	17,135.00	10,000	Eldora Ellison, Retired
Judith Olson	Republican	842.06	1,000	Carl G. Grefenstette, Director, Hillman Foundation
Rebecca L. Warren	Republican	-2,668.35	5,000	Rebecca L. Warren

April 8 candidate forum

A candidate forum at the Free Library of Philadelphia on April 8 showcased candidate concerns over the influence of money in judicial elections. Five candidates participated in the forum: Anne Lazarus (D), John H. Foradora (D), David N. Wecht (D), Dwayne D. Woodruff (D) and Cheryl Lynn Allen (R). All of the candidates at the forum argued that more campaign cash presented issues for judicial races, though none believed that eliminating elections would be the right solution. Foradora argued that campaign cash potentially damages the court's integrity, while Woodruff suggested that higher finance requirements presented a barrier to entry for qualified candidates. Allen advocated for nonpartisan elections as a counterweight to increasing partisanship on the court.

Failed nominations

In February 2015, Governor Tom Wolf (D) nominated both Ken Gormley, a law professor for the Duquesne University School of Law, and Judge Thomas Kistler of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas. However, after a Christmas email sent by Kistler and a halt to confirm Gormley, Wolf said he planned no further nominations to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Kistler asked that his nomination be withdrawn after a report surfaced of a racially insensitive e-greeting sent out by Kistler to friends in 2013. The e-greeting depicted a black couple, with the male wearing prison garb behind a glass window and his female visitor speaking to him via a jailhouse phone. The caption attached to the e-greeting said, "Merry Christmas from the Johnsons," and Kistler sent the greeting with a subject heading of "Best Christmas card ever."

Gormley's nomination came under scrutiny when reports of harassment complaints filed in 2006 against Gormley were circulated among the Senate Judiciary Committee. An internal Duquesne University report, which had been cited in a lawsuit filed against Gormley, recommended that Gormley not supervise women because he had shared "an unsubstantiated rumor" regarding a female professor. The suit was later settled by the female professor and the university.

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rebecca L. Warren did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

2015

“	A Judge is a decision-maker. You are called upon to thoughtfully and thoroughly consider each party's position, listen respectfully to each argument, research and analyze the law, and fairly apply the law to the facts of each case. As a Supreme Court Justice, I will take an oath to support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and our Commonwealth. Our Constitutions, in addition to the statutes passed by our Legislature, are the standards against which each case must be considered and measured. Ensuring that justice is administered fairly and equitably in each case is of great importance to me on both a professional and personal level due to a great family tragedy which substantially shaped my view of my purpose in life. In thinking of that grand concept of justice in our judicial system and its proper application, I cannot help but think of the statue of Lady Justice who is uniformly depicted with scales, a sword and blindfold. The scales are to measure and weigh the strengths of each party's case. The sword symbolizes reason and justice to be brandished against or in favor of a party's position. The blindfold represents objectivity, rendering justice without favor. I will endeavor to faithfully adhere to these standards and ideals to afford each party appearing before the Court a fair opportunity, equal access, and due process.	”
—Pennsylvania Bar Association (2015)

See also

2019 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Rebecca Warren for Supreme Court Justice
• PennLive, "Republican Supreme Court hopefuls unvetted by their peers," February 3, 2015
• The Daily Item, "Warren, others file early for open seats on state high court," March 10, 2015

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