3 open seats on Pa. Supreme Court make for pivotal races

One has sentenced a man to death and been threatened with death himself. Another prosecuted a woman for providing abortion drugs to her daughter, while others challenged the ethics of fellow court officers.

They are among the 12 candidates — six Democrats and six Republicans — running for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. And most voters barely know their names.

Three seats are open on the state’s highest court, after the retirement of Chief Justice Ron Castille and the scandal-tainted departures of Justices Joan Orie Melvin and Seamus McCaffery.

That turmoil aside, “This court has proved extremely important,” said Duquesne University law professor Bruce Ledewitz, who cited rulings that voided a voter ID requirement and gave new heft to the state constitution’s environmental protections. Future justices, he said, will likely review Gov. Tom Wolf’s “very aggressive theory of the powers of the governor,” among other issues. (Mr. Wolf’s death-penalty moratorium has already been challenged.)

This year’s election could give either party up to a fivejudge majority on the sevenmember court. And because the court helps redraw political boundaries after each census, the winning party may control the state Legislature in the years ahead.

Full biographies of the candidates, complete with some noteworthy court actions, are at post- gazette.com.

DEMOCRATS Christine L. Donohue, 62, Allegheny

A coal miner’s daughter who became a successful commercial lawyer, Christine Donohue has been a Superior Court judge since 2008. She’s also served on statewide panels that investigate judges and attorneys for ethical lapses. Among her more notable rulings: a 2014 opinion upholding the conviction of former Justice Melvin, while overturning a requirement that she apologize to state judges by mailing a photograph of herself in handcuffs. (Pennsylvania Bar Association rating: Highly recommended.)

Kevin M. Dougherty, 52, Philadelphia

The first in his family to attend college, Judge Dougherty touts himself as an advocate for working-class families. After serving in the Philadelphia district attorney’s office, he became a common pleas judge in 2001, where he’s focused on the family division. He’s held a number of administrative roles and pursued numerous reforms, including the court’s treatment of transgender youth. Judge Dougherty is backed by the Democratic state committee and enjoys heavy labor backing, led by a Philadelphia union local whose business manager is his brother. (Pennsylvania Bar Association rating: Recommended)

John H. Foradora, 48, Jefferson

A Democrat who in 2001 was elected judge in a heavily Republican Jefferson County, Judge Foradora said he can represent, and garner votes from, rural areas. His supporters include law-enforcement groups and members of the Varischetti family, which owns a stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers and a network of nursing homes. As Jefferson County’s lone jurist, he tries every kind of case; a 2010 opinion giving a plaintiff access to a defendant’s Facebook account was an early state precedent for online privacy rights. (Pennsylvania Bar Association Rating: Recommended)

Anne E. Lazarus, 62, Philadelphia

Judge Lazarus joined Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court in 1991, and was elected to the Superior Court in 2009. In an election where judicial ethics loom large, Judge Lazarus calls herself an “ethics guru,” touting her work chairing the committee that drafted a new judicial conduct code adopted last year. She also serves on the Judicial Conduct Board, which weighs allegations against judges. Endorsed by the state National Organization of Women, she cites the importance of gender diversity on the court. (Pennsylvania Bar Association Rating: Highly Recommended)

David N. Wecht, 52, Allegheny

Judge Wecht began his judicial career in 2003 by serving in Allegheny County’s family division. Later, as administrative judge, he devised a policy ensuring that the same judge would hear cases involving families who appear repeatedly, an effort to cogently address dysfunction in the home. He’s been a Superior Court judge since 2012. The son of former Allegheny County Coroner Cyril Wecht, he’s proposed numerous judicial ethics reforms. He also touts his status as the only judge to get the Bar Association’s highest rating and be endorsed by the Democratic state committee. (Pennsylvania Bar Association ranking: Highly Recommended)

Dwayne D. Woodruff, 58, Allegheny

A former Pittsburgh Steeler who studied law while not out on the field, Judge Woodruff was elected to the Allegheny County bench in 2005. He’s served in the Family Division, and touts his work on the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice, convened to propose reforms after the Luzerne County “kids for cash” juvenile-sentencing scandal. In addition to his credentials, he said he’ll bring “true diversity” to the Supreme Court, which currently has no black justices. (Pennsylvania Bar Association rating: Recommended.)

REPUBLICANS Cheryl L. Allen, 67, Allegheny

A Homestead native who began her career as a schoolteacher and then a lawyer providing services to the indigent, Judge Allen served on Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, largely in family division, before being elected to Superior Court in 2007. A former Democrat, she said she left the party due to differences over abortion and other issues. Among her higher-profile opinions: a 2011 ruling that led to Jordan Brown, who was accused of killing his future stepmother and her unborn child, being tried as a juvenile rather than an adult. (Pennsylvania Bar Association rating: Highly Recommended)

Anne E. Covey, 55, Bucks

Judge Covey had a background in labor law, with a focus on harassment issues, before joining the state’s Commonwealth Court in 2012. She earned statewide attention for rulings that targeted the NCAA’s efforts to sanction Penn State University for sexual abuse committed by former coach Jerry Sandusky. The Pennsylvania Bar Association declined to recommend her due to a negative 2011 TV ad that critics called misleading: Judge Covey maintains the bar “disagreed with me using my First Amendment rights.”

Michael A. George, 56, Adams

Judge George, who has been endorsed by the state Republican committee, touts his experience trying cases from all three angles: as a defense attorney, a former district attorney and as a judge. (He risked also becoming a victim, when an aggrieved convict tried to hire his cellmate to kill him.) As Adams County’s president judge, Judge George administers the county court system while trying cases, including the death-penalty case of Christopher Lynn Johnson, who made headlines statewide by killing a game warden in 2010. (Pennsylvania Bar Association rating: Recommended)

Judith F. Olson, 57, Allegheny Correale F. Stevens, 68, Luzerne

A former state legislator, Luzerne County District Attorney and Superior Court judge, Justice Stevens was appointed, with bipartisan support, to the Supreme Court in 2013 to replace Justice Melvin. He’s now running for re-election. Justice Stevens is nearing the mandatory retirement age of 70, which would give him a 10-month term, though that age could be increased by Constitutional amendment. For now, he’s stressing his experience — “I don’t need onthe-job training” — and his steady hand in the wake of the court’s turmoil. (Pennsylvania Bar Association rating: Highly Recommended)

Rebecca L. Warren, 48, Montour

Ms. Warren, who has been Montour County’s District Attorney since 2012, said she committed herself to public service after her father and brother were killed in a car accident. Ms. Warren is the only candidate who is not a judge, one reason the Bar Association withheld its recommendation; Ms. Warren faults the association’s rating process. Though Montour is a small county, Ms. Warren drew national attention for prosecuting a woman charged for illegally purchasing abortion drugs online for her pregnant daughter. Bar Association rating: Highly Recommended)

Judge Olson, who on the campaign trail calls herself “the nice Judge Judy,” has been on the Superior Court since 2010, where her notable rulings include an opinion spelling out parental rights when children may be relocated. Though she’s backed by the state Republican committee, her judicial career began in 2008 when a Democrat, then-Gov. Ed Rendell, appointed her to the Allegheny County bench. Prior to that, she was a lawyer with a focus on business law. (Pennsylvania