With the results of the 2024 General Election finalized, focus is already on next year’s judicial elections. In 2025, there will be three Supreme Court Justices on the ballot for a retention vote – Christine Donohue, David N. Wecht, and Kevin Dougherty.
While judicial elections are often considered “off” election years with lower voter turnout, the impact of the election results are felt far and wide. Over the past several election cycles, the make-up of the court has shifted to a pro Plaintiffs bar majority. In that time, the Supreme Court’s rulings have consistently expanded liability throughout the state causing problems for employers and health care providers while landing Pennsylvania atop the Judicial Hellholes list. It was the Supreme Court that rescinded the medical malpractice venue rule – which has led to a big spike in med mal case filings in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
According to a report by the Delaware Valley Journal, at least one grassroots organization will urge voters to vote “no” on retention of Justices Donohue, Wecht, and Doughtery. While it is extremely rare for a judge to lose a retention vote in Pennsylvania, it is not unprecedented. In 2005, Justice Russel M. Nigro lost his retention bid. If voters choose not to retain a justice, it falls on the governor to appoint – and the Senate to confirm – a replacement. The replacement justice would serve until the next regularly scheduled judicial election.