Philosophy, Qualifications and Threats to the Profession: General Election Judicial Candidate Q&As

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.

The general election is set to take place Nov. 7.

Scroll down to read the candidate Q&As. Candidates from courts that are italicized below did not respond to The Legal’s general election questionnaire, but where possible we have included a link to responses the candidates provided during the primary.

A full list of responses from the primary can be found here. Please check out our additional election coverage here.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Race Candidates

Carolyn Carluccio and Daniel McCaffery battle for a spot on the state’s highest court.

Pennsylvania Superior Court Race Candidates

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

Commonwealth Court Race Candidates

Matthew Wolf and Megan Martin face off for a spot on the Commonwealth Court.

Allegheny Common Pleas Candidates

Republican Anthony Deluca and Democrat Patrick Sweeney vie for the Allegheny County bench.

Berks Common Pleas Candidates

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

Blair Common Pleas Candidates

Blair County’s David Consiglio and Fred Miller 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

Maura Palumbi runs for a spot on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

Cambria Common Pleas Candidates

In a three-way race, Michael Carbonara, Forrest Fordham III and Timothy Sloan vie for the Cambria County bench.

Centre Common Pleas Candidates

Julia Rater seeks a spot on the Centre County court.

Chester Common Pleas Candidates

Ten candidates—Deborah Ryan, Fredda Maddox, Sarah Black, Andrew Rongaus, David Black, Donald Kohler Jr., Nicole Forzato, Louis Mincarelli, 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

Rachel Berry and Dawn Sutphin vie for a seat in Delaware County.

Erie Common Pleas Candidates

Eric Mikovch and Peter Sala battle to join the Erie County Court.

Fayette Common Pleas Candidates

Mark Mehalov seeks 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

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

Mifflin county candidate Jonathan Reed vies for a spot.

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

Twelve candidates—Brian McLaughlin, Chesley Lightsey, Damaris Garcia, Jessica Brown, John Padova, Kay Kyungsun Yu, Natasha Taylor-Smith, Samantha Williams, Tamika Washington, James Eisenhower, Rajinderpal Sandher and Elvin Ross —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 and Matthew Kirtland face off in Venango county.

York Common Pleas Candidates

Kelley Margetas is running unopposed in York County.