Overview
- Voters on Nov. 4 will decide whether Justices David Wecht, Christine Donohue, and Kevin Dougherty keep new 10-year terms on the seven-member court.
- Justice Wecht called a shorthanded court “disastrous” and said 2–2 ties would leave lower-court rulings intact without creating precedent.
- President Donald Trump urged Pennsylvanians on Truth Social to vote “NO, NO, NO,” while Gov. Josh Shapiro and Barack Obama publicly backed retention.
- If all three lose and temporary appointments are not confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, the court could be stuck at 2–2 through 2027.
- Outside spending and hard-edged messaging have surged, including a conservative mailer accused of falsely claiming the court gerrymandered maps after a 2018 ruling against a GOP plan.