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VOTE YES on JUDICIAL RETENTION QUESTIONS
SAVE OUR PA SUPREME COURT
Three Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices -- Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht -- are on the November ballot for retention, a yes or no vote to allow each justice to retain their judicial seat. No party affiliation will be listed. Please vote YES for retention.
Our Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the highest-level court in the state, and decides issues that significantly affect our lives, though this can be for better or for worse. In the past ten years we have seen this court rule fairly and reasonably when applying the law to legal issues, and defending and preserving our rights – which we would like to see continue and not overturned. Cases have included:
Voting in 2018 and 2022 to remove gerrymandered Congressional district maps and to approve new, more competitive districts
Acting to support reproductive rights in a pending case
Ruling on voting issues, such as mail-in ballot dates, ballot curing, and provisional ballots
Facilitating a ruling that the state’s school funding system is unconstitutional for failing to provide adequate resources and equitable education
BUT --- There is currently a lot of money being spent to oust these three Supreme Court justices, denying them another ten-year term. A resulting political split in the court could lead to deadlocked cases or cases being viewed as less significant due to the court vacancies. This could last until 2027 because replacements proposed by Governor Shapiro would have to be approved by a vote of two-thirds of the state senate, which currently has a Republican majority. The clear goal is to change the composition of this court to a majority of Republican-allied justices, to influence the future of Pennsylvania.
A sitting judge’s political position cannot be listed on the ballot because judges represent the interests of all Pennsylvanians once they take the oath of office. However, these individuals initially ran for their judicial seats as Democrats, aligned with the morals, beliefs, and views of the Democratic Party.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court composition is crucial. Major cases such as redistricting, election issues, including mail-in ballot procedures, reproductive rights, marijuana policy, and educational and environmental issues have in the past (as noted above) or may in the future be influenced by or decided by this court. The future of mail-in balloting could end up there. Depending on U.S. Supreme Court action, marriage equality may come back to the states, as did reproductive rights, potentially involving litigation up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. It is very important to retain justices who will act in the best interests of Pennsylvania residents and prevent our laws and personal freedoms from being eroded.
Superior Court and Commonwealth Court. Two other judges for state courts below the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are also on the November ballot for retention: Alice Beck Dubow in Superior Court and Michael Wojcik in Commonwealth Court. They initially ran as Democrats, but no party affiliation will be listed on the current ballot. These judges are also worthy of your vote to retain them.
The Pennsylvania Bar Association, a nonpartisan trade group for lawyers that regularly evaluates judicial candidates’ qualifications, has recommended retention of all five of these judicial candidates for new terms.
Judicial retention is important because of the role judicial actions play in all of our lives. Please share this information with other voters.
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