Pa. election 2025: What to know about the Superior Court candidates

In Pennsylvania’s 2025 general election, voters will determine who joins one of the commonwealth’s most powerful courts: the Superior Court, which handles thousands of criminal, civil and family appeals cases each year and is often the final word in justice for many residents across the commonwealth. The court’s decisions can shape everything from parental custody arrangements to criminal sentencing and consumer protections to business issues.

Three candidates — Democrat Judge Brandon Neuman, Republican Maria Battista and Daniel Wassmer of the Liberal Party — are vying for an open seat. Meanwhile, Democratic Judge Alice Beck DuBow is seeking a new 10-year term in a separate retention vote.

The Superior Court is one of two intermediate appellate courts in Pennsylvania, which review decisions from the state’s 67 county courts. The Superior Court has the final say on around 97% of its decisions which are not successfully appealed to the state Supreme Court.

“Do you want your communities to be safe? All criminal matters if appealed … go to the Superior Court. I ask people, ‘Do you care about your families, your children, your grandchildren?’ All matters related to families and children go to the Superior Court,” Maria Battista, the Republican nominee, told PCNTV last month. “Do you care about your property rights? Property issues go to the Superior Court.”



https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-superior-court-election-2025/