Judicial elections occur in odd-numbered years. Justices and judges may serve an unlimited number of terms until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 and are retained or reelected by the voters. Vacancies that exist before an election may be filled by gubernatorial appointment until an election is held. These selections are subject to Senate confirmation.

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania compiled this information:

Judge of the Supreme Court

Office description: The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the commonwealth and the oldest appellate court in the nation. The Supreme Court’s administrative powers and jurisdictional responsibilities are vested with the seven-member court by the Pennsylvania State Constitution and a collection of statutes known as the Judicial Code. Term: 10 years. Salary: $206,054. Vote for one.

Maria McLaughlin

Philadelphia

Democrat

Occupation: Judge, Superior Court of Pennsylvania

Education: Penn State 1988. Delaware Law School at Widener University 1992

Qualifications: Current judge on our Pennsylvania Superior Court; Served six years as judge, Court of Common Pleas; Chief and ADA, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office; rated highly recommended for the Supreme Court by the PBA.

Question: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure that all individuals have equal access to justice?

Answer: Along with being our highest appellate court, The Supreme Court oversees our statewide court system and legal community. As such we have the opportunity to set rules, educate the legal community and create special court programs dealing with human services issues like substance abuse and mental health challenges, veterans issues and initiatives focused on autism. All geared toward providing fair treatment and equal access for people with unique circumstances.

Question: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure an equitable and fair court?

Answer: As a lawyer and a judge I have always worked to ensure everyone who comes into a courtroom has an opportunity to be heard and the law applied without bias. This is the cornerstone of our legal system. As a justice I will not waver from that driving principle. My work on the bench and in my life will always reflect my dedication to fairness and equality.

Kevin Brobson

Dauphin County

Republican

Occupation: President Judge, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court

Education: Widener Commonwealth Law School, summa cum laude (second in class), Managing Editor Law Review; Lycoming College (B.A., accounting/Economics), magna cum laude

Qualifications: President Judge of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court; over 11 years as statewide appellate court judge (elected 2009, retained 2019); Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board, 2015-19 (Chair); 14 years’ private practice; former federal judicial clerk; highly recommended by Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Question: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure that all individuals have equal access to justice?

Answer: I would work cooperatively with the governor and the Legislature to increase funding for legal aid programs. While in private practice, I created a program in Dauphin County to expand pro bono opportunities for lawyers to provide services to nonprofit organizations. I would encourage county bar associations to think creatively about expanding pro bono service to small and minority-owned businesses and nonprofits. I want to ensure our courts have access to interpreters for parties with limited English proficiency. I would build upon the excellent work of Philadelphia Legal Assistance with respect to the representation of low-wage workers and the unemployed by engaging law schools and other legal aid associations throughout the state.

Question: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure an equitable and fair court?

Answer: I believe I have earned a reputation as a fair and impartial arbiter of the law. I treat everyone who enters my courtroom, or has a matter before me, with equal respect and dignity. I strive to appreciate the perspectives and points of view of all parties. It is important to me that every litigant, represented and unrepresented, be given every opportunity, within the rules and the law, to present their case. Moreover, as a former Chair of the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board, I am keenly aware of how important it is to Pennsylvanians that our judges observe the highest ethical standards on and off the bench. I hold myself to this high standard. All Pennsylvanians deserve to have faith in a fair and impartial judiciary.

Judge of the Superior Court

Office description: The Superior Court is one of Pennsylvania’s two statewide intermediate appellate courts. This court, established in 1895, reviews most of the civil and criminal cases that are appealed from the Courts of Common Pleas in the commonwealth’s 67 counties. The Superior Court consists of 15 judges. The president judge is elected to a five-year term by his/her colleagues. A large number of appeals flow to the Superior Court from the trial courts. Term: 10 years. Salary: $202,898. Vote for one.

Timika Lane

Philadelphia

Democratic

Occupation: Judge, Court of Common Pleas

Education: West Catholic High School and went on to graduate Howard University in Washington, D.C., and received my law degree in 2002 from Rutgers University School of Law in New Jersey.

Qualifications: Major trials judge, presiding over thousands of trials, authoring hundreds of opinions. I handle all human trafficking cases, many of the most serious criminal cases and grand jury matters. Certified Child Advocate and as former Executive Director of the Senate Government Committee advised on the constitutionality of legislation.

Question: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure that all individuals have equal access to justice?

Answer: As a sitting judge, I ensure everyone in my courtroom is treated with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, creed, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. As a member of the Access to Justice Committee, we address this issue by looking at possible barriers and how to remove those barriers to ensure everyone has equal access. As co-chair of the Local Criminal Rules Committee we recommend the qualifications for court appointed attorneys to make sure that indigent people have capable legal representation.

Question: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure an equitable and fair court?

Answer: The Superior Court is an error-correcting court and often the last line of defense for the parties involved in a case. When reviewing an appeal It is vital the appellate judge have strong?courtroom experience on both sides of the bench to best determine if the proceedings in the lower court were fair, all parties were heard and the law has been applied fairly regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or economic status. I will ensure equity and fairness in all cases before me, just as I do for all who appear in my current courtroom. Off the bench, I believe judges should be visible in the community.

Megan Sullivan

Philadelphia

Chester County

Occupation: Attorney

Education: Temple University Beasley School of Law, Juris Doctorate (cum laude) Saint Joseph’s University (B.A.)

Qualifications: 20 years criminal and civil law experience. Deputy Attorney General in PA Attorney General’s Office & Supervisory District Attorney, protected victims including the most vulnerable members of our society as a child abuse prosecutor. Asst. General Counsel at West Chester University and civil litigator.

Question: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure that all individuals have equal access to justice?

Answer: I believe equal access to justice is essential to maintaining trust in our courts and our justice system’s legitimacy. I am committed to providing all individuals in my courtroom with equal access to justice by ensuring their voice is heard, their rights are protected, and that they are never subject to discrimination. I support efforts to enhance equal access to justice through legal aid programs that provide individuals with access to qualified attorneys. Providing interpreters for those individuals for whom English is a second language is also important. It is also important to give individuals with disabilities full access to the courtroom. Everyone that comes before a judge should fully understand their constitutional rights.

Question: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure an equitable and fair court?

Answer: I have a deep respect for our Constitution and our system of justice. I have spent a large part of my 20-year career as an attorney helping others to navigate both the criminal and civil judicial system. I respect the system but understand why some fear it. Individuals who serve in the role of a judge must recognize that they are the arbiter of the rules and the process. This is a great power that requires objectivity, an innate sense of fairness, and humility. I possess these traits and am committed to delivering to all citizens a justice system that shows respect and fairness, as well as knowledgeable decision-making that takes into account the parties’ perspectives and applies the law objectively.