In an editorial in the Philadelphia Daily News, PMC offers this review of the 2009 judicial elections:

The Harrisburg Patriot-News featured an op-ed by PMC’s Lynn Marks and Shira Goodman this weekend.

The votes are in. And the unofficial totals show that Joan Orie Melvin has been elected to the Supreme Court.  The top three vote-getters for the Superior Court vacancies were Judy Olson, Sallie Mundy, and Paula Ott.

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts broke the news earlier today that the current Supreme Court race has set a new fundraising record. Judge Jack Panella has raised at least $2,350,633 to date. This edges out the previous record set in 2007 by now Justice Seamus McCaffery. See the Press Release here. You can find the candidates’ finance reports on the PA Dept.

It's election day. There are many judicial seats up for election, including a seat on the Supreme Court, four seats on the Superior Court and two seats on the Commonwealth Court.  In addition, many trial level seats are up for election, and judges across the Commonwealth are standing for retention.

PMC Executive Director Lynn A. Marks will appear on PCN (Pennsylvania Cable News) tonight at 7:00 pm for a live call-in show about Tuesday's judicial elections.  Marks will be joined by Pennsylvania Bar Association President Clifford Haines and John Burkoff, Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. 

The four candidates running for two vacancies on the Commonwealth Court have answered a questionnaire presented by the Legal Intelligencer.  The candidates are Democrats Barbara Jo Ernsberger and Linda Judson and Republicans Patricia McCullough and Kevin Brobson.

An editorial in the Times-Tribune (Scranton) makes the case for replacing judicial elections with Merit Selection for the appellate courts.  Exhibit A is the current partisan — and in the last few days nasty — race between Republican Joan Orie Melvin and Democrat Jack Panell

PMC Executive Director will serve as a panelist in a debate between the three candidates running for judge in Luzerne County. The debate will be aired live by WVIA-TV Channel 44 tonight at 8:00 pm.