JEFFERSON Co. (EYT) — On November 7, voters throughout the Commonwealth will cast their ballots for a new Commonwealth Court judge. Here’s your guide to the court and the candidates.
The state’s Commonwealth Court is a court of appeals in civil and regulatory matters. Unlike the state Supreme Court, the Commonwealth Court is dominated by conservative jurists.
Commonwealth Court judges are elected to ten year terms. There is no limit to the number of terms they can serve, though the mandatory retirement age is 75. At the end of their term, they can either be retained or rejected with a yes or no vote. They rarely lose a retainer vote.
The court is currently comprised of five Republicans and three Democrats, with one vacancy.
Megan Martin (R)
According to her website, Martin is the former Secretary and Parliamentarian of the Senate of Pennsylvania, the first and only woman to hold the role. Previously, she worked as a staffer for Governors Tom Ridge and Tom Corbett. She has also worked as an attorney for the United States Navy.
Martin earned her Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law in 1994.
Matt Wolf (D)
According to his campaign website, Wolf is a Supervising Judge in the Philadelphia Municipal Court. Like his opponent, he is recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Wolf worked as a civil rights trial lawyer for 25 years. He tried cases in appellate courts before the Pennsylvania Superior Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Supreme Court (Petition for Certification), New Jersey Appellate Division, and the New Jersey Supreme Court.
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