Governor Rendell's second slate of nominees for the four interim vacancies on the appellate courts have been confirmed:  Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan for the Supreme Court;  McKean County President Judge John Cleland and Northampton County President Judge Robert Freedberg for the Superior Court; and Philadelphia lawyer Johnny Butler for the Commonwealth Court.
 
Earlier this year, Governor Rendell had nominated a different slate of candidates: Judge James Gardner Colins, former President Judge of Commonwealth Court to serve on the Supreme Court; former Justice James J. Fitzgerald, III, and former Superior Court Judge Robert Daniels to serve on the Superior Court; and law professor Ken Gormley to serve on the Commonwealth Court.  On May 14, the Senate rejected the nominations. 
 
The nominees will serve until January 2010, when they will be replaced by judges elected to those seats in the November 2009 elections.  In order to secure confirmation, each of the new judges had to promise not to seek a full term in the 2009 election.
 
The Supreme Court vacancy was created by the retirement of Chief Justice Ralph Cappy. The vacancies on the Superior Court were due to the election of Judges Seamus McCaffery and Debra Todd to the Supreme Court. The vacancy on the Commonwealth Court was created by the retirement of Judge James Gardner Collins.
 
PMC's charts on the current composition of the Supreme Court can be viewed here, and on the Superior and Commonwealth Courts, here.