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Pennsylvania Republicans on Tuesday nominated a veteran appeals court judge to be their partyâs nominee for Supreme Court justice, setting the stage for a high-stakes fight for an open seat on the stateâs highest court.
Commonwealth Court Judge Kevin Brobson of Dauphin County defeated two GOP rivals, the Associated Press projected early Wednesday. He will face Superior Court Judge Maria McLaughlin, a Philadelphia Democrat who ran unopposed for her partyâs nomination, in Novemberâs general election.
Theyâll vie for a seat being vacated by Chief Justice Thomas Saylor, a Republican who reaches the mandatory retirement age this year. Democrats hold a 5-2 majority on the court, so the balance of power isnât in play.
Pennsylvania Republicans on Tuesday nominated a veteran appeals court judge to be their party’s nominee for Supreme Court justice, setting the stage for a high-stakes fight for an open seat on the state’s highest court. Commonwealth Court Judge Kevin Brobson of Dauphin County defeated two GOP rivals, the Associated Press projected early Wednesday. He will face Superior Court Judge Maria .
Here are Pa.’s 2021 statewide judicial races and what you need to know about them
Updated May 04, 2021;
By Stephen Caruso | Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Registered Democrats and Republicans across the commonwealth will have to pick their candidates to run for four open seats on all three of the state’s appellate courts.
If elected, these judges will serve a 10-year term before they’ll stand for a yes or no retention vote.
We’ll dive into the specifics of the courts and the candidates below.
But one quick thing under state law, judicial candidates can’t say much about policy or politics when they’re running, leaving voters with little information outside of endorsements from interest groups or elected officials.
A Philadelphia judge running for a seat on the state’s highest court on Thursday disavowed any connection to QAnon, after supporters of the conspiracy movement listed her as a featured speaker at their upcoming gathering in Gettysburg. Common Pleas Court Judge Paula Patrick said she wasn’t invited to the “Patriots Arise, Awakening the Dead!” event, didn’t plan to attend, and had never heard of .
• 1 hour ago Matt Rourke / AP
Yes, there’s another election day just around the corner. It’s May 18. And, in fact, thanks to no-excuse mail ballots, widespread voting is already open.
In addition to deciding local races, voters this year will elect a slew of new judges to Pennsylvania’s three statewide appellate courts judges who will no doubt shape important policy in the state for at least the next decade.
These are some of the most powerful positions in state government. But the elections that determine who gets the jobs tend to get little attention from voters. In the last two judicial election years that featured partisan contests, turnout hovered in the low 20% range, compared with more than 70% turnout in 2020’s record-setting election.