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Anne Lazarus
2010 - Present
2030
15
Anne Lazarus (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. She assumed office on January 4, 2010. Her current term ends on January 7, 2030.
Lazarus ran for re-election for judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. She won in the retention election on November 5, 2019.
Lazarus ran for election to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015 but was defeated in the Democratic primary on May 19, 2015.[1]
Biography
Education
Lazarus received her B.A. degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1972 and her J.D. and LL.M. from the Temple University Beasley School of Law in 1976 and 1986, respectively.[2]
Career
Prior to her election to the Pennsylvania Superior Court, Lazarus served on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas from 1991 to 2010. From 1980 to 1991, she served as legal counsel to the Philadelphia Orphans' Court.[2]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2013: Sandra Day O’Connor Award, Philadelphia Bar Association
- Legal Service for the Public Committee Judge's Award, Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Benjamin F. Levy Community Service Award, Brandeis Law Society
- Bernard White Community Service Award, PLAN of PA[2][3]
Associations
- 2005-2009: Chairperson, Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Member, Philadelphia Bar Association
- Member, Allegheny County Bar Association
- National Association of Women Judges
- American Judges Association
- Adjunct professor, Widener University School of Law
- Adjunct professor, National Institute of Trial Advocacy
- Adjunct professor, National Judicial College
- Member, Temple American Inn of Court
- Member and Past-President, Louis D. Brandeis Law Society
- Past-President, Brandeis Law Society Foundation[4]
- Board of directors, Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program[2]
Elections
2019
Pennsylvania Superior Court, Retention election for Anne Lazarus
Anne Lazarus was retained to the Pennsylvania Superior Court on November 5, 2019 with 74.5% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
74.5
|
1,500,891 | ||
No |
25.5
|
513,912 | |||
Total Votes |
2,014,803 | ||||
|
|
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, 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 | ||
Endorsements
- Chester County Democratic Committee
- State Representative H. Scott Conklin, Centre County
- Mayor Elizabeth Goreham, State College
- Mayor Rick Gray, Lancaster
- Senator Daylin Leach, Montgomery and Delaware counties
- Senator Judy Schwank, Berks County
- Jewell Williams, Philadelphia Sheriff [5]
Recommendation
Lazarus was highly recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, who said she "is described as demonstrating the ethical and personal conduct reflective of the appropriate standard for the judiciary and is regarded by her colleagues as a person of the highest integrity."[6]
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.[7]
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 $50,000 from Ronald Caplan, president of PMC Property Group, to Democratic candidate Kevin M. Dougherty.
| Pre-primary campaign finance, May 2015[8] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | Cash on hand ($) | 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 $595,000 for Republican candidates.[9]
| Pre-primary campaign finance, April 2015[10] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | Cash on hand ($) | 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.[11]
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.[12]
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."[13]
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.[13]
2009
- See also: 2009 contested judicial election results
Lazarus ran for one of the four open seats on the Pennsylvania Superior Court in 2009.[14]
| Candidate | Incumbent | Party | Primary % | Election % |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Judith Olson  |
No | Republican | 37.1% | 15% | |
| Sallie Mundy |
No | Republican | 33.5% | 13.7% | |
| Paula Ott |
No | Republican | 12.7% | ||
| Anne Lazarus |
No | Democratic | 11.4% | ||
| Robert Colville | No | Democratic | 11.4% | ||
| Templeton Smith | No | Republican | 29.3% | 11.4% | |
| Kevin McCarthy | No | Democratic | 11.2% | ||
| Teresa Sarmina | No | Democratic | 10.9% | ||
| Marakay Rogers | No | Libertarian | 2% |
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Anne Lazarus did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
| “ |
1. Conduct both an internal and request and external audit of the Court. The Court should do an internal self-audit as well as request an American Bar Association internal audit to identify what the Supreme Court is doing well and what areas can be improved upon to increase transparency, efficiency, and ethics. After the results of both audits the Court should revise its internal operating procedures in order to reflect actual practice and to provide for transparency. 2. The Court should accept more cases for allocatur to create definitive finality in the law. a. The Court should develop standards for the denial of allocatur and provide a written statement for said denial so that lawyers can explain to their clients the rationale for the Court’s decision. b. The Court should refine the basis of review for allocatur in order to minimize the instances when allocatur is “improvidently granted.” 3. The Court should set specific time limits for argument before the Court and grant rebuttal to the appellant. 4. The Court should assure that the Justices themselves are abiding by the Canons of Judicial Conduct and the internal operating procedures of the Court. [15] |
” |
| —Vote Anne Lazarus (2015)[16] | ||
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedelection2015 - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pennsylvania Courts, "Judge Anne E. Lazarus," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ Judge Anne E. Lazarus for Supreme Court, "About Judge Lazarus," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Louis D. Brandeis Law Society Foundation, "Foundation Board Members," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ Politics PA.com, "Judge Anne Lazarus Unveils a String of Endorsements," February 20, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Bar Association, "Judicial Evaluation Commission Releases 2015 Judicial Ratings," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ TribLive.com, "Much at stake as 16 vie for historic 3 vacancies on Pa. Supreme Court," January 11, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Campaign Finance Online Reporting," accessed May 18, 2015
- ↑ TribLive, "3 candidates for Pennsylvania Supreme Court have more than $500k on hand for primary election," April 7, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Campaign Finance Online Reporting," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Philly.com, "5 running for Pa.'s top court agree: Judicial races cost too much," April 8, 2015
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Senate GOP may not fill 2 vacancies on Pennsylvania’s high court," February 24, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Philly.com, "Two Supreme Court nominees under fire," February 22, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2009 Municipal Election, Judge of the Superior Court results"
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Vote Anne Lazarus, "LAZARUS PROPOSES MAJOR CHANGES FOR THE SUPREME COURT," March 30, 2015
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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
