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Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections
There are seven justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. For more information about these elections, visit the Pennsylvania judicial elections page.
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
The seven justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are selected in partisan elections.[1]
Justices serve 10-year terms, after which they must run in yes-no retention elections if they wish to remain on the court. A separate part of the ballot is designated for these elections, and justices' names appear without respect to party affiliation.[1][2] To learn more about these elections, visit the Pennsylvania judicial elections page.
Qualifications
To serve on the supreme court, a justice must:
- have state residence for at least one year;
- be a member of the state bar; and
- be under the age of 75.[1][3]
Chief justice
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court chooses its chief justice by seniority; the title is held by the longest-serving justice on the court.[1][4]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a successor who must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Pennsylvania Senate. Interim justices stand for election at the next municipal election occurring more than 10 months after the vacancy occurred.[1]
By tradition, appointed interim judges of the supreme court, superior court, or court of appeals do not go on to run for permanent seats. In other words, the governor appoints these judges with the expectation that the judge will only fill the interim vacancy.[1]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Elections
2025
The terms of three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices will expire on January 4, 2026. The three seats are up for retention election on November 4, 2025.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the justices who must stand for retention election in 2025 in order to remain on the bench. Justices may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if justices retire or are appointed.
■ Christine Donohue
■ David N. Wecht
■ Kevin M. Dougherty
2021
General election candidates
- Maria McLaughlin (Democratic Party)
- Kevin Brobson (Republican Party) ✔
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
Republican primary candidates
2017
Candidates
Justices facing retention
■ Thomas Saylor (R) 
■ Debra Todd (D)
Partisan election, Mundy's seat
■ Sallie Mundy (R) (Incumbent)
■ Dwayne D. Woodruff
2015
See also: Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2015
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Three seats, Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| David N. Wecht |
22.1% | 256,761 |
| Kevin M. Dougherty |
22.0% | 256,048 |
| Christine Donohue |
21.4% | 248,325 |
| Anne Lazarus | 16.3% | 189,127 |
| Dwayne D. Woodruff | 11.7% | 136,127 |
| John H. Foradora | 6.6% | 76,190 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 1,162,578 | |
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2015 Municipal Primary Unofficial Results," May 19, 2015 | ||
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Three seats, General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kevin M. Dougherty |
18.5% | 1,079,835 | |
| Democratic | David N. Wecht |
18.4% | 1,070,568 | |
| Democratic | Christine Donohue |
18.2% | 1,059,167 | |
| Republican | Judith Olson | 15.2% | 887,409 | |
| Republican | Michael A. George | 13.6% | 796,124 | |
| Republican | Anne Covey | 13.6% | 795,330 | |
| Independent Judicial Alliance | Paul P. Panepinto | 2.5% | 144,403 | |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 | ||
| Total Votes | 5,832,836 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial General Election Results," November 3, 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 | ||
2013
Retention
| Judge | Retention vote | Retention Vote % |
|---|---|---|
Ronald Castille  | 68.5% | |
| Max Baer | 71.0% |
2009
Justice Ralph Cappy retired from the court in 2008, creating a vacancy that was filled by Jane Greenspan. Since it is traditional for interim appointees to not seek a full-term, candidates competed for an open seat in the 2008 general election.[5]
Joan Orie Melvin was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, overcoming two challengers in the Republican primary and Jack Panella in the general election.[6][7]
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Primary votes | Primary % | Election votes | Election % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joan Orie Melvin  |
No | Republican | 304,339 | 54.7% | 925,459 | 53.1% | |
| Jack Panella | No | Democratic | 815,106 | 46.8% | |||
| Cheryl Lynn Allen | No | Republican | 151,688 | 27.3% | |||
| Paul P. Panepinto | No | Republican | 99,641 | 17.9% |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Pennsylvania," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, "In Re: Nomination Papers of Marakay Rogers, Christina Valente and Carl J. Romanelli," November 7, 2006
- ↑ 2018 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, "Title 42, Chapter 33, Section 3351," accessed August 25, 2020
- ↑ The Pennsylvania Code, "Chapter 7. Assignment of Judges," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Pennsylvania," archived June 19, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Justice of the Supreme Court Primary Election Results"
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Justice of the Supreme Court General Election Results"
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
