Pennsylvania Election Results: Supreme Court Judge Retention
ABOUT WHAT VOTERS ARE ACTUALLY VOTING ON. PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE DAVID WECHT IS DOING SOMETHING HE DID NOT HAVE TO DO MUCH OF TEN YEARS AGO CAMPAIGNING. AND, YOU KNOW, IT’S A IT’S A GREAT FEELING TO BE HERE IN MY HOMETOWN. AND THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE IT IN THE WORLD. THREE JUSTICES HAVE THEIR CHAMBERS HERE IN PITTSBURGH IN THE 1960S, THE STATE HELD A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, AND PA VOTERS RATIFIED A COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE IDEA OF POPULAR ELECTION OF JUDGES AND MERIT BASED SELECTION. THE COMPROMISE WAS THE JUDGES AT ALL LEVELS WOULD BE ELECTED IN PARTIZAN ELECTIONS, AND THEN AFTER TEN YEARS, THEY WOULD STAND IN A NONPARTISAN YES NO ELECTION, WHICH WOULD TEST THE PEOPLE’S ASSESSMENT OF THEIR MERIT, THEIR INTEGRITY AND THEIR COMPETENCE. YOU’VE SEEN THE POLITICAL ADS URGING YOU TO VOTE NO ON RETENTION, AND THEN THE COUNTER ADS URGING YOU TO VOTE YES TO RETAINING JUSTICES CHRISTINE DONAHUE, KEVIN DOHERTY AND DAVID WECHT. IF ANY OR ALL OF THESE JUDGES ARE NOT RETAINED, WHEN YOU, THE VOTERS CAST YOUR BALLOT NOVEMBER 4TH, THERE WOULD BE AN ELECTION IN 2027 TO REPLACE THEM, AND THAT WOULD BE PARTIZAN, MEANING REPUBLICANS VERSUS DEMOCRATS. SO THAT’S THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. AND THE REALITY IS THAT THAT’S ADVOCACY IN OUR SYSTEM. IT’S HARD FOR PEOPLE TO FIGHT THEIR WAY THROUGH ALL THAT LITERATURE. THERE’S SO MUCH MISLEADING STUFF HERE. KEN GORMLEY IS A LEGAL SCHOLAR. THE DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT IS ALSO A LAW PROFESSOR WHO SAYS THE ADS ARE MAKING AN ELECTION POLITICAL WHEN IT SHOULDN’T BE. WHAT ARE THEY SAYING, YES OR NO TO FOR THESE THREE INDIVIDUALS, A SIMPLE QUESTION SHOULD THIS JUSTICE BE RETAINED ON THE PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT? AND HISTORICALLY, THE WAY IT’S BEEN SET UP, BECAUSE THEY’RE NONPOLITICAL, IF THE PERSON HAS DONE THEIR JOB AS A JUDGE, IF THEY HAVEN’T COMMITTED ANY GREAT ETHICAL INFRACTIONS, IF THEY HAVEN’T FAILED TO COME TO WORK, IF THEY GO IN AND DO THEIR JOB AS A, YOU KNOW, SWORN TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION AND MAKE THEIR BEST DECISIONS, THE ANSWER HAS ALWAYS BEEN YES, HE SAYS. THERE’S ACTUALLY BEEN ONE EXCEPTION TO THAT. IN 2005, JUSTICE RUSSELL NIGRO WAS VOTED OUT OF OFFICE AFTER THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED AND THE GOVERNOR SIGNED A PAY RAISE BILL FOR ALL THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT THAT TOOK PLACE OVERNIGHT. PA VOTERS VOTED HIM OFF THE BENCH THIS ELECTION CYCLE. TV ADS AND MAILERS MENTION PROTECTING WOMEN, JUSTICE WECHT WROTE AN OPINION ON THE ALLEGHENY REPRODUCTIVE CASE. MY COLLEAGUES AND I DECIDED THAT A LAW THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAD PASSED, WHICH GUARANTEED MEDICAID FUNDING FOR MEN FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE BUT DENIED IT TO WOMEN, VIOLATED PENNSYLVANIA’S EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT. THESE ADS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE UNTIL NOVEMBER 4TH. KEN GORMLEY HOPES WE DON’T SEE THEM IN FUTURE. JUDGE ELECTIONS. I WOULD HOPE THIS IS AN ABERRATION, AND I WOULD HOPE AS WE GO INTO FUTURE CYCLES WHERE THERE ARE REPUBLICAN ORIGINALLY JUSTICES UP FOR RETENTION, VOTERS TREAT IT EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS LONG AS THEY HAVE DONE THEIR JOB FAITHFULLY AS JUDGES. THEN THEY SHOULD GET A YES VOTE AND CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK. BECAUSE ULTIMATELY OUR SYSTEM IS ONLY PROTECTED IF YOU HAVE ONE BRANCH THAT IS NEUTRAL AND CALLS THE SHOTS AS THEY SEE THEM. THAT’S WHAT PROTECTS US AS DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY. ALL RIGHT. A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT HERE. I WANT TO SHOW YOU A SAMPLE BALLOT RIGHT HERE. THIS IS JUST FROM THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. A SAMPLE THESE BALLOTS IN PA, THEY HAVE TWO SIDES. SO THE SUPREME COURT JUDGE RETENTION QUESTIONS, THEY’RE RIGHT HERE ON PAGE TWO. YOU GOT TO FLIP THE THING OVER. SO IF YOU FORGET TO TURN THE BALLOT OVER YOU’RE ACTUALLY GIVING UP HALF OF YOUR VOTE ALONG WITH SOME OTHER RACES AS WELL. SO IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW THESE THREE JUSTICES HAVE RULED OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS, YOU’RE WELCOME TO DO IT. WE PUT A LINK
Pennsylvania Election Results: Supreme Court Judge Retention
RESULTS: MAIN PAGE | PITTSBURGH MAYOR | PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE RETENTION | PITTSBURGH RACES | ALLEGHENY COUNTY | BEAVER COUNTY | BUTLER COUNTY | CLARION COUNTY | FAYETTE COUNTY | GREENE COUNTY | INDIANA COUNTY | JEFFERSON COUNTY | LAWRENCE COUNTY | VENANGO COUNTY | WASHINGTON COUNTY | WESTMORELAND COUNTY All three of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices who sought reelection Tuesday will get another term.Voters across the state decided to retain Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, all Democrats.Election results can be seen below. If you do not see the races, click here.For months, political ads were urging voters to either support or oppose the retention of Donohue, Dougherty and Wecht.The retention process stems from a compromise made during a constitutional convention in the 1960s, where Pennsylvania voters agreed on a system that combines partisan elections with a nonpartisan retention vote after 10 years.If any of the justices were not retained, a partisan election would have been held in 2027 to replace them.Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 is committed to bringing you the latest information on Pennsylvania’s general election. We’re following every Western Pennsylvania county and the races that affect you.
PENNSYLVANIA —
RESULTS: MAIN PAGE | PITTSBURGH MAYOR | PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE RETENTION | PITTSBURGH RACES | ALLEGHENY COUNTY | BEAVER COUNTY | BUTLER COUNTY | CLARION COUNTY | FAYETTE COUNTY | GREENE COUNTY | INDIANA COUNTY | JEFFERSON COUNTY | LAWRENCE COUNTY | VENANGO COUNTY | WASHINGTON COUNTY | WESTMORELAND COUNTY
All three of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices who sought reelection Tuesday will get another term.
Voters across the state decided to retain Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, all Democrats.
Election results can be seen below. If you do not see the races, click here.
For months, political ads were urging voters to either support or oppose the retention of Donohue, Dougherty and Wecht.
The retention process stems from a compromise made during a constitutional convention in the 1960s, where Pennsylvania voters agreed on a system that combines partisan elections with a nonpartisan retention vote after 10 years.
If any of the justices were not retained, a partisan election would have been held in 2027 to replace them.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 is committed to bringing you the latest information on Pennsylvania’s general election. We’re following every Western Pennsylvania county and the races that affect you.