The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the highest court in the state. It makes the final decisions about how Pennsylvania’s laws and Constitution should be interpreted and applied. In many cases, the Supreme Court has discretion to choose whether or not to review a case which has been appealed to the court. However, it must review certain types of cases, such as those involving the death penalty or questions about Pennsylvania’s Constitution. The Supreme Court can hear certain cases first, without them going through lower courts), if someone claims they’re being held illegally (habeas corpus) or if there’s an urgent issue that’s very important to the public (King’s Bench Powers).
The Supreme Court also manages how all the courts in the state operate and ensures they all follow the same rules. It oversees lawyers by deciding who can join the Pennsylvania State Bar and making sure they follow ethical standards. The Court has several boards that help with tasks like lawyer and judicial training and discipline.
There are seven justices on the Supreme Court, and each serves a 10-year term. After each term, they can stand for retention in an election question posed to voters: should this justice serve for another 10 years? In the 2025 election, three of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court justices are standing for retention.
Justices can continue serving until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 75.
Bar Association Ratings FAQ
Before a judicial election, bar associations (like the Pennsylvania Bar Association or local ones) review a candidate's performance and temperament through a careful investigation. They then issue a recommendation for each candidate.
They evaluate criteria such as:
- Integrity
- Good moral character
- Legal ability
- Bench trial, jury trial or evidentiary hearing experience
- Judicial temperament (patience, courtesy, compassion, impartiality, humility, even temper, sense of fairness)
Candidates receive one of the following ratings:
- Highly Recommended: “The candidate possesses the highest combination of legal ability, experience, integrity and temperament and would be capable of outstanding performance as a judge or justice of the court for which he/she is a candidate.”
- Recommended: “Based on legal ability, experience, integrity and temperament, the candidate would be able to perform satisfactorily as a judge or justice of the court for which he/she is a candidate.”
- Not Recommended: “Based on legal ability, experience, integrity or temperament, or any combination thereof, at the present time, the candidate is inadequate to perform satisfactorily as a judge or justice of the court for which he/she is a candidate.”
For judges already serving and seeking to stay in office for another term, the ratings are typically “Recommended for Retention” or “Not Recommended for Retention.”
Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Questionnaires are forms that people running for judge or for retention fill out. They are part of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s process for evaluating judicial candidates.
The questionnaires include information about:
- The candidate’s education and legal background
- Work experience and the types of cases they’ve handled
- Accomplishments and community service
- References from people who know their work
- A short section where the candidate explains why they want to be a judge
After reviewing the questionnaires, the Bar Association shares them with the public so voters can learn more about each candidate before the election.