Pa. Election 2025: What is judicial retention?

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters will be asked on Nov. 4 whether to give three judges on the state Supreme Court more time on the bench.

These yes-or-no retention elections are a big deal, and if Republicans succeed in their stated goal of getting Pennsylvanians to vote “no,” they could set the stage for a total remaking of the court.

But the process is also very different from a traditional election, and Republicans won’t automatically win a majority even if they get “no” votes.

All three justices up for retention — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht — were elected as Democrats in 2015, and their party has held a majority on the state’s high court ever since. The seven-member court currently has five justices elected as Democrats and two as Republicans.





https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/09/judicial-retention-supreme-court-2025-guide-elections/