Amanda Ross

Editor-In-Chief

This post was originally published on October 29.

On Nov. 4, 2025, Pennsylvania will hold its general and municipal elections. In local elections, residents are facing a decision regarding whether to retain a number of state judges across multiple courts.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in the state. It is made up of seven justices, who each serve ten-year terms before being reelected to their seat in a retention vote. Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, who were all elected in 2015, are currently up for retention. If the majority votes yes, they will serve another ten-year term. If the majority votes no, a temporary replacement for the justice will serve in their place until a new justice can be elected. All three are Democrats, with histories of voting in line with liberal policies. Notably, Donohue will be forced to retire in two years, even if she is retained, due to the court having an age limit of 75 for serving justices. 

The Pennsylvania Superior Court is one of the two appellate courts below the state’s supreme court. It handles civil, criminal, and family law cases, and is the court PA residents are most likely to interact with if appealing a lower court’s decision. The court is made up of 15 judges, and currently has one vacant seat. It also has a judge up for retention. Alice Dubow, a democratic judge who was elected in 2015, is up for retention. She has a history of voting in line with liberal policies, and was recommended for retention by the state bar association.

As for the open seat, three people are currently running: Brandon Neuman, Maria Battista, and Daniel Wassmer. 

Brandon Neuman is a Democrat in Washington county who is recommended by the state bar association. He previously served on the court of common pleas, the court below the superior court, and notably worked on a case that forced Washington County to inform residents regarding errors on their mail ballots that could threaten their ability to be counted.

Maria Battista is a Republican in Chester County who is recommended by ChamberPAC, a political action committee representing the PA Chamber of Business and Industry. She previously served as legal counsel in the state’s Department of Health and Department of State. She uniquely has also worked for the Department of Defense as a contract specialist, along with briefly teaching middle school. 

Daniel Wassmer is a Liberal party candidate, and has previously served in Bucks County as a solicitor and ran for state senate and state attorney general. He is running in hopes to add a third party choice to the ballot, and openly supports many liberal policies. 

Micheal H. Wojcik is also up for retention in the Commonwealth Court, a court equal to the Superior Court that handles cases involving state governments or regulatory agencies. Wojcik is a Democrat and was recommended for retention by the state bar association. In the court of common pleas, John Mead and Joseph Walsh are both up for retention in Erie County.