All three of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices who sought reelection Tuesday will get another term, ensuring Democratic jurists keep their majority on the presidential battleground state's highest court—one at the center of pivotal fights over voting rights, redistricting, and elections, the AP reports. The result shapes the makeup of the seven-member court through the next presidential election in 2008. The three justices had been elected as Democrats, and voters were deciding whether to extend the court's Democratic majority. Rejecting all three could have plunged the court into a partisan deadlock if the state's politically divided government were to be unable to agree on temporary appointees to fill in.
Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht won new terms, with support from the Democratic Party and allies including Planned Parenthood, labor unions, trial lawyers, and a constellation of progressive groups. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro—considered a potential White House contender in 2028 who is up for reelection next year— appeared in ads for the justices. All three were running in what is called a retention election, in which voters are asked to vote "yes" or "no" on whether to give current justices another term. They were not identified by party on the ballot. Terms are 10 years, though age limits can shorten that time on the bench.
Traditionally, a retention campaign is an under-the-radar election. But in an era of increasingly polarized judicial elections, spending in the race was on track to exceed $15 million, far surpassing previous spending in a retention election. While not all spending or financial sources have been disclosed publicly, Democrats easily outspent a Republican campaign by as much as four-to-one. President Trump didn't campaign against the justices and only weighed in on social media on Sunday night, urging Republicans to vote "no." (Tuesday saw a flurry of big wins for Democrats.)
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