High-Profile Pennsylvania Supreme Court Retention Vote

Pennsylvania voters will decide on Nov. 4 whether to retain Democratic Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht in an unusually high-profile retention contest that has drawn unprecedented outside spending and attention. The three are part of a 5-2 liberal majority whose rulings on abortion, mail-in ballots, redistricting, gun laws and other high-stakes issues have made the vote a proxy fight over control of the state judiciary. Both sides have poured millions into ads and organizing — with Democrats reported to have spent more than $7 million and Republicans reserving nearly $2.5 million, and outside donors tied to Jeffrey Yass heavily involved. Legal experts warn that if all three are ousted the court could be left with only four justices, slowing or crippling its work. While the governor can name interim replacements, those picks require two-thirds Senate confirmation, and past clashes between Gov. Josh Shapiro and the GOP-controlled Senate raise doubts about timely confirmations.