Judicial races in Pennsylvania are often low-key events, but that doesn’t mean they need to be low-information.

Every year, The Legal strives to provide an in-depth look at the Keystone state’s judicial races, and as part of that effort we have put together a series of Q&A-style interviews with the candidates to get information on their background and thoughts about how they will approach the bench.

This year, more than 100 candidates are vying for seats on 27 common pleas benches, as well as spots on the state’s three appellate courts. The primary is set to take place May 16.

Scroll down to read the candidate Q&As.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Race Candidates

Carolyn Carluccio, Deborah Kunselman, Daniel McCaffery and Patricia McCullough battle for a spot on the state’s highest court.

Pennsylvania Superior Court Race Candidates

Five candidates, Jill Beck, Harry Smail Jr., Maria Battista, Patrick Dugan and Timika Lane, are looking to join the state Superior Court.

Commonwealth Court Race Candidates

Bryan Neft, Joshua Prince, Matthew Wolf and Megan Martin face off for a spot on the Commonwealth Court.

Allegheny Common Pleas Candidates

Anthony Deluca, Andrew Szefi and Patrick Sweeney battle in a three-way race in Allegheny County.

Berks Common Pleas Candidates

Three candidates, Kurt Geishauser, Justin Bodor and Jill Scheidt, vie for a spot on the Berks County bench.

Blair Common Pleas Candidates

Blair County’s David Consiglio, Fred Miller and Joel Seelye push for a seat on the common pleas bench.

Bucks Common Pleas Candidates

Current District Attorney Matthew Weintraub is running unopposed.

Butler Common Pleas Candidates

Terri Schultz and Maura Palumbi face off for a spot on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

Cambria Common Pleas Candidates

In a five-way race, Michael Carbonara, Forrest Fordham III, Timothy Sloan, Brett Smith and Tonilyn Kargo vie for the Cambria County bench.

Centre Common Pleas Candidates

Gopalakrishnan Balachandran and Julia Rater go head to head for a spot on the Centre County court.

Chester Common Pleas Candidates

Twelve candidates—Deborah Ryan, Fredda Maddox, Kristine Howard, Sarah Black, Andrew Rongaus, David Black, Donald Kohler Jr., Nicole Forzato, Louis Mincarelli, Natacha Simmons, PJ Redmond and Thomas McCabe—battle for spots the Chester County bench.

Columbia and Montour Common Pleas Candidates

Richard Knecht is running unopposed to fill the seat former Gov. Tom Wolf nominated him to fill in June 2022.

Dauphin Common Pleas Candidates

La Tasha Cherene Williams and Courtney Powell face off for a spot on the Dauphin County bench.

Delaware Common Pleas Candidates

In a three-way race, Rachel Berry and Dawn Sutphin vie for a seat in Delaware County.

Erie Common Pleas Candidates

Leigh Ann Orton, Eric Mikovch and Peter Sala battle to join the Erie County Court.

Fayette Common Pleas Candidates

Mark Mehalov and Melinda Dellarose seek to join the Fayette bench.

Lackawanna Common Pleas Candidates

In Lackawanna, Frank Ruggiero is running unopposed.

Lancaster Common Pleas Candidates

Four candidates, Karen Maisano, Shawn McLaughlin, Todd Brown and Christina Parsons, face off in Lancaster County.

Lebanon Common Pleas Candidates

Elizabeth Judd, Donna Brightbill and Megan Ryland-Tanner vie for a seat in Lebanon County.

Lycoming Common Pleas Candidates

In Lycoming, three candidates, Andrea Pulizzi, Ryan Gardner and William Carlucci, fight for a spot on the bench.

Mifflin Common Pleas Candidates

Three Mifflin county candidates, Jerry Wagner Jr., Jonathan Reed and Jeffrey Davis, vie for spots.

Montgomery Common Pleas Candidates

Charles Rosenbaum and Daniel Ronca face off for a seat on the Montgomery County bench.

Northampton Common Pleas Candidates

In Northampton County, Brian Panella and Nancy Aaroe seek a spot on the bench.

Northumberland Common Pleas Candidates

Michael Toomey is running unopposed in Northumberland.

Philadelphia Common Pleas Candidates

Sixteen candidates—William Braveman, Brian McLaughlin, Chesley Lightsey, Damaris Garcia, Jessica Brown, John Padova, Kay Kyungsun Yu, Kenneth Joel, Natasha Taylor-Smith, Samantha Williams, Tamika Washington, Wade Albert, Joseph Green, Qawi Abdul-Rahman, Melissa Francis and Caroline Turner—are battling for spots on the Philadelphia Common Pleas bench, as three candidates vie for spots on the Municipal Court—Colleen Osborne, Rania Major and Barbara Previdi Thomson.

Schuylkill Common Pleas Candidates

William Burke and Michael Opake seek a spot on the Schuylkill bench.

Snyder and Union Common Pleas Candidates

Michael Piecuch is running unopposed for a spot on the Snyder and Union Court of Common Pleas

Venango Common Pleas Candidates

Justin Fleeger, Matthew Kirtland and Gregory Merkel face off in Venango county.

York Common Pleas Candidates

Kelley Margetas is running unopposed in York County.

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