Lyris Younge
Lyris Younge (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania.
Younge is running for re-election for judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She is on the ballot in the retention election on November 4, 2025.[source]
Education
Younge received an undergraduate degree in English from Emory University and a J.D. from the University of Georgia.[1]
Career
Younge is an administrator for District Council 1199c, the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees. She was previously an attorney for the City of Philadelphia’s Law Department for over 10 years.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2025)
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas
Lyris Younge is running for retention to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on November 4, 2025.
Retention Vote |
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Yes |
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No |
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Endorsements
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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.
The following candidates ran in the general election.
| Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, 12 seats, General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Kenneth J. Powell, Jr. Incumbent |
9.4% | 150,720 | |
| Democratic | Mia Roberts-Perez |
9.1% | 145,722 | |
| Democratic | Kai Scott |
8.9% | 143,461 | |
| Democratic | Tracy Brandeis-Roman |
8.8% | 141,304 | |
| Democratic | Abbe Fletman Incumbent |
8.7% | 140,026 | |
| Democratic | Lyris Younge |
8.3% | 133,420 | |
| Democratic | Stephanie M. Sawyer |
7.8% | 124,875 | |
| Democratic | Michael Fanning Incumbent |
7.5% | 119,823 | |
| Democratic | Chris Mallios |
7.5% | 119,757 | |
| Democratic | Daine A. Grey Jr. |
7.4% | 119,141 | |
| Democratic | Rainy Papademetriou |
7.3% | 117,702 | |
| Democratic | Scott Diclaudio |
7.0% | 112,577 | |
| Republican | Vincent Furlong | 2.3% | 36,186 | |
| Total Votes | 1,604,714 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial General Election Results," November 3, 2015 | ||||
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary.
Bar association rating
Younge was not recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association.[2]
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
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Noteworthy events
Suspended from court (2021)
On June 3, 2021, Younge was suspended for six months and put on probation for the rest of her term by the State Court of Judicial Discipline for what it called “repeated, clearly improper conduct.” Younge admitted to accusations that she had failed to be impartial, demonstrated an improper judicial demeanor, and denied parties their right to be heard in court.[3] The court stated that short of dismissing Younge, it was the harshest punishment it had ever imposed.
Younge's attorney said in a statement that Younge "dedicated her life to public service and helping others, and the Court’s decision will enable her to continue to pursue her passion in the justice system." [4][5]
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lyris Younge for Judge, "About Lyris," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ Philadelphia Bar Association, "Philadelphia Bar Association Releases Final Ratings of Judicial Candidates for May 19 Primary Election," May 5, 2015
- ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Philadelphia judge accused of improperly jailing parents in custody cases admits misconduct charges," February 19, 2021
- ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Philly judge gets 6-month suspension for ‘blatant and inexcusable’ misconduct on the bench," June 3, 2021
- ↑ AP, "Judge suspended for ‘blatant and inexcusable’ conduct," June 4, 2021
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
