HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democrat Timika Lane won a seat on a statewide appellate court in Pennsylvania, giving Democrats a sweep of four statewide judicial races in Tuesday's election, including an open seat on the state’s highest court.
Vote-counting continued into Wednesday and put Lane, a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge, over the top in her race for a seat on the state Superior Court.
Democrat Dan McCaffery was victorious in the race for state Supreme Court, preserving a strong Democratic majority on a panel that has produced several critical election-related rulings in the presidential battleground state.
The seven-member bench, which will be made up five Democrats and two Republicans, is also at the center of cases on guns and abortion rights — which had a prominent role in the campaign.
On the lower statewide appellate courts, lawyer Jill Beck of Pittsburgh joined Lane in winning an open seat on Superior Court. Matt Wolf, a Philadelphia Municipal Court judge, won a seat on Commonwealth Court.
The 15-member Superior Court hears appeals of civil and criminal cases from county courts. The two seats are open because one Republican judge retired and another Republican judge will reach the mandatory retirement age of 75 this year. The court currently has seven members elected as Republicans and seven elected as Democrats.
The nine-seat Commonwealth Court hears challenges or appeals from county courts in cases involving laws or government actions. The court currently has five members elected as Republicans and three elected as Democrats.
