Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Supreme Court By The Numbers:

Justice

Former prosecutor

Former public defender

Vacancy

  • 7 total seats
  • 1 current vacancy
  • 1 prosecutor
  • 1 public defender
  • 0 Justices have other indigent defense experience
  • 0 civil rights lawyers

How Members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are Selected:

Partisan Election, Retention Election

Justices are selected in partisan elections to a 10-year term, after which they stand for retention elections where party affiliation is not indicated. The mandatory date of retirement is the end of the year in which a justice turns 75. Interim selections to fill vacancies that occur between elections are made by governor appointment.

Selection method sources:

Ballotpedia, Judicial Election Methods By State; Brennan Center for Justice, Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map