Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2025
 |
Supreme court • Appellate courts • How to run for office |
 |
| 2025 State Judicial Elections | |
|---|---|
2026 »
« 2024
| |
 | |
| Overview | |
| Supreme Courts Overview | |
| Appellate Courts Overview | |
| View judicial elections by state: | |
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
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Pennsylvania
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
About the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
- See also: Pennsylvania Supreme Court
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. A full term on the court is 10 years.
Political composition
This is the political composition of the court heading into the 2025 election.
| ■ Christine Donohue | Elected in 2015 | |
| ■ David N. Wecht | Elected in 2015 | |
| ■ Kevin M. Dougherty | Elected in 2015 | |
| ■ Debra Todd | Elected in 2007 & 2017 | |
| ■ Sallie Mundy | Appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in 2016; elected in 2017 | |
| ■ Kevin Brobson | Elected in 2021 |
Selection
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.
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
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
| ||||||||||
