Understanding Pennsylvania’s Judicial Elections

It's a Judicial Election Year!

November 4, 2025 is approaching fast! Now's the time to learn about the judicial candidates and make your voting plan.

What are Judicial Elections?

Unlike many other states where governors appoint judges, Pennsylvania lets voters elect judges.

Judicial elections take place on odd-numbered years and determine who will fill open positions when judges retire and what judges will be retained at the end of their terms. 

Judges make decisions that can impact you or your community in almost every aspect of your life: work, family, finances, shelter, and more. For example, you might face unfair treatment at work, a dispute with your landlord, or a disagreement with a contractor hired to make home repairs. You and your spouse may decide to divorce and need to divide assets or reach an agreement about child custody and visitation. In all these situations, judges play a critical role in administering justice and interpreting the law.

To become a judge in Pennsylvania, a person must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen and a Pennsylvania resident
  • Be between 21 and 75 years old
  • Be an attorney who is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania

Candidates running for Magisterial District Judge do not need to be licensed attorneys, but they must pass a special qualifying exam.

The terms for judges vary, depending on the court. 

  • Magisterial District Courts: Judges serve 6-year terms and are always elected
  • Municipal Court: Judges serve 6-year terms. They are elected for their first term, followed by a retention vote for additional terms
  • Common Pleas Courts: Judges serve a 10-year term. They are elected for their first term, followed by a retention vote for additional terms
  • Appellate Courts (Superior, Commonwealth, and Supreme Courts): Judges serve for a 10-year term. They are elected for their first term, followed by a retention vote for additional terms 

No, but their campaign committees can raise funds. Judicial candidates cannot personally solicit or accept funds. 

Judges are expected to be nonpartisan, fair, and neutral. A candidate for judge can share their personal opinions about legal, political, or other issues, but they cannot make promises or pledges beyond doing their job fairly and honestly. They also cannot make commitments or take sides on cases or issues that might come before the court in the future.

Visit our court profiles below to learn more about each of Pennsylvania’s courts and their 2025 election candidates.

For more information, you can also:

  1. Visit your local bar associations website, to see their ratings and recommendations
  2. You can watch candidate forums, fireside chats, and judicial election programming on PMC’s YouTube channel
  3. You can go to the candidates’ websites
  4. Use Committee of Seventy's Interactive Voter Guide to explore all the candidates on your ballot.
  5. Read Interviews, Articles, and Voter Guides

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 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 then 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.”

What are Retention Elections?

When judges on the Municipal Court, Common Pleas Courts and Appellate Courts (Superior, Commonwealth, and Supreme Courts) reach the end of their allotted terms, a retention question is put on the ballot to determine if they should be retained for another term. 

Retention questions appear on the ballot as yes or no questions. Under each judge up for retention, voters select "yes" or "no" to decide if the sitting judge should be retained for another term.

This decision is intended to be a nonpolitical decision, and gives voters a chance to review judges' performance over their term in a nonpartisan way.

Before a retention 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 — typically “Recommended for Retention” or “Not Recommended for Retention.” 

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)

If a judge is not retained, their term will end on December 31, 2025. When that happens, the seat becomes vacant. There are no special elections to fill vacancies when judges are not retained.

The Governor may nominate a replacement, but the nomination must be approved by two-thirds of the State Senate.

In extraordinary circumstances, a temporary judicial assignment to the Supreme Court may be made if the Court cannot reach a quorum or if such circumstances make it necessary.

The next regular judicial election will take place in 2027 to fill open seats. 

 

How Pennsylvania's Courts Are Organized

PA Court Structure

Appellate Courts

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

This is the highest court in the state and the oldest appeals court in the United States.

Seven judges work on this court. Their job is to make the final decision about what Pennsylvania's laws and Constitution mean. When they decide something, no other court in the state can change it. This court also runs and manages all the different courts in Pennsylvania.
 

See Court Profile

Superior Court

This is where most people and businesses go when they don’t agree with a lower court’s decision. 

This is one of the busiest appeal courts in the whole country. The decisions this court makes are important because they affect how people live and work in Pennsylvania. For example, if this court makes a ruling about workplace safety, it can make all Pennsylvania workplaces safer for employees. 

See Court Profile

Commonwealth Court

This court handles cases when people have problems with the state or local government. 

This court is special—no other state has a court exactly like it. Most of the time, it looks at cases that other courts have already decided on. However, it sometimes acts like a regular trial court when someone sues the state government or when someone claims that a state law violates the Constitution. It also handles tax dispute cases. 

See Court Profile

Minor Courts 

Courts of Common Pleas

These courts are general trial courts.

The Courts of Common Pleas are the general trial courts of Pennsylvania. They handle civil cases involving more than $12,000, as well as serious criminal cases such as theft and assault. These courts also deal with family matters, including divorce, property distribution, and child custody. In addition, they can issue protection orders to help keep people safe from harm.

The Courts of Common Pleas also handle cases involving children, families, estates, and guardianships.

See Court Profile

Magisterial District Courts & Philadelphia Municipal Court

Also known as “the people’s court,” it is the first level of courts in the state. 

These courts handle the first court appearances after someone is arrested. They set bail (the money a person pays to be released from jail while waiting for trial) and issue warrants that allow police to make arrests or search property.

They also issue emergency protection orders for people experiencing abuse, handle landlord-tenant disputes, and civil disputes involving amounts under $12,000.

See Court Profile

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Be an Informed Voter!

Do your research and evaluate candidates. 

Unlike other elected officials, judges can’t make promises or pledges when they campaign. They have rules that limit what they can say. Instead, you should look at their qualifications, experience, and character. Judges serve long terms and make decisions that affect your community, so it’s important to take time to learn about them. Think about the following things when choosing a candidate:

  • Legal experience such as courtroom experience and writing abilities
  • Reputation for integrity and fairness
  • Community involvement and public service
  • Ongoing educational and professional activities
  • Compassion
  • Commitment to equal justice
  • References and recommendations 
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