The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is a is a middle-level appellate court (meaning it hears appeals from lower courts) that mainly handles cases involving the state government and agencies. The court also handles lawsuits where the state government is either being sued or is suing someone else. It can review decisions made by state agencies to make sure the rules were followed and the decisions were fair.
The Commonwealth Court also handles appeals from state agencies regarding things like utility regulation, liquor licenses, and workers' compensation. The court can also act as a trial court, which means some cases start there instead of being appeals. These include civil lawsuits filed against the state of Pennsylvania and cases that involve state elections.
Rulings from the Commonwealth Court can be appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court does not have to hear the case unless they believe the issue is important enough to review.
There are nine judges on the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, and each serves a 10-year term. After each term, they can stand for retention in an election question posed to voters – should this judge serve for another 10 years? In the 2025 election, one Commonwealth Court judge is standing for retention. There is also one open seat on the court, with two candidates competing for that position.
Superior Court Judges 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.