PA Supreme Court justices (D) talk retention elections, court operations at Philadelphia forum

This November, voters across the commonwealth will decide whether to send three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices back to the bench for another 10 years in what are referred to as retention elections: nonpartisan contests that decide whether sitting jurists in Pennsylvania will earn another 10 years – or an early retirement.

Those up for retention in this year’s November general election are Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht – all of whom ran as Democrats in 2015 when the trio swept the state’s election for three seats on the high court.

The trio made a rare public appearance on Monday during a fireside chat in Philadelphia hosted by the nonprofit good government group Committee of Seventy, where the jurists discussed partisanship and the courts, while also offering a window into life at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, ranging from how cases are decided to justices interact with one another. They also weighed in on the looming retention elections that will decide their fate in just a few short months.

Below, City & State runs down some of the major highlights from Monday’s forum at Central High School in Philadelphia.


https://www.cityandstatepa.com/politics/2025/09/pa-supreme-court-justices-talk-retention-elections-court-operations-philadelphia-forum/407969/?oref=ng-homepage-top-story