Pennsylvania voters retain three Democratic Supreme Court justices

Pennsylvania voters on Tuesday opted to retain three Democratic justices on the state Supreme Court, electing to extend the terms of Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht and preserving the court’s current 5-2 Democratic majority. The retention outcome keeps the high court’s partisan balance intact as the state heads into another cycle of contested elections and potential legal disputes over voting and redistricting.

Under Pennsylvania’s retention system, justices appear on the ballot without opponents and are retained if they receive a majority of yes votes. Terms are 10 years; Donohue, however, must leave the bench in 2027 when she reaches the state’s mandatory retirement age of 75. Historically, retention elections have attracted little attention and most sitting justices have been retained, but this year’s contests drew unusually intense campaigning and spending from both sides.

Republican groups mounting anti-retention campaigns cited recent rulings by the court, including decisions related to legislative and congressional district maps and pandemic-era restrictions, as reasons to vote no. They used radio ads, direct mail, yard signs and door-to-door outreach...