Why a Pennsylvania Court Election This November Could Matter in 2028 [View all]
Justice Christine Donohue looked out over the crowd of roughly 60 people gathered in a Philadelphia high school theater on a recent Monday night, and paid them a compliment.
“You are among maybe 5 percent of the population in Pennsylvania that knows we have a retention election on Nov. 4 of this year,” said Justice Donohue, who serves on the State Supreme Court. “So I congratulate you for that.”
High-profile elections this fall — including a contentious ballot measure in California over redistricting and governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia — have captured significant attention as barometers of the national mood and President Trump’s performance in the White House ahead of pivotal midterms next year. But the outcome of three quirky, under-the-radar contests for State Supreme Court judges in Pennsylvania will have implications well beyond the Keystone State.
The elections, called retention elections, will decide whether three justices who were elected as Democrats keep their seats, which will determine the tilt of the seven-member Pennsylvania State Supreme Court through the next presidential election. What’s at stake is nothing less than control of the highest court in the most important swing state in the country.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/us/politics/pennsylvania-supreme-court-election.html