HARRISBURG, Pa. — With the deadline to register to vote looming at the end of this month, it may be a good idea to learn about some of the candidates running in November's municipal election, specifically for the Pennsylvania courts.
On Nov. 7, Pennsylvanians will vote for new judges in the state Supreme and Superior Courts. With more high-profile issues being raised to the state courts, some of these races are gaining more attention from both major political parties.
From abortion to gun rights, these are just a few of many issues that judges in the state Supreme Court will make decisions on.
Pennsylvania voters will decide between Republican Carolyn Carluccio and Democrat Daniel McCaffery to take that seat in the Supreme Court for at least the next decade.
Carluccio served on the Family, Criminal, and Civil Court benches for the past 14 years. She also served as the first-ever female Chief Public Defender and president judge for Montgomery County.
McCaffery has 32 year of experience as an attorney and was active duty in the Army. He was raised in Northeast Philadelphia and has been dedicated to volunteering within the Democratic Party, even before taking the bench in 2013.
The Nov. 7 ballot will also have the nominees for the Pennsylvania Superior Court, which makes the final ruling of legal disputes in the Commonwealth.
Maria Battista is one of the two Republican candidates and has 15 years of legal experience in civil, criminal and administrative law. She is a former assistant district attorney. She currently serves as a Commonwealth attorney, was counsel in the Departments of Health and State and presided over hundreds of cases, including some for the Department of Corrections.
Harry F. Smail Jr. is the other Republican candidate and has been a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Westmoreland County for 8.5 years. He has presided over government and municipal issues, elections, energy and land use, and constitutional challenges.
He completed his college education while working as a probation and parole officer.
Judge Jill Beck, a Pittsburgh native, is one of two Democratic candidates and has served as a voice in court for underprivileged children since graduating in 2006. She spent 10 years in public service as a law clerk under the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Judge Christine Donohue, and in 2019, she became a civil litigator, providing free legal services to those who can't afford them.
The final judge vying for a seat in the Pennsylvania Superior Court as a Democratic candidate is Timika Lane, who has served in the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County since 2013. Judge Lane presided over serious felony criminal matters, including domestic/family violence, sexual assault, attempted murder, arson, robbery and burglary. She also served West Philadelphia in Harrisburg as the Chief Legal Counsel for a State Senator and the Executive Director for the Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee.
Pennsylvanians have until Oct. 23 to register to vote in the upcoming municipal elections. Voters who wish to vote by mail-in or absentee ballot must apply by 5 p.m. on Oct. 31.