Judge of Court of Common Pleas

The Courts of Common Pleas are Pennsylvania's courts of general trial jurisdiction and are organized into 60 districts; the smallest district has one judge and the largest, in Philadelphia, has 101. These courts, each supervised by a president judge elected by their district peers, hear criminal and civil cases on a range of issues and matters involving children and families, as well as appeals from minor courts (Philadelphia Municipal court).

The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas is organized into three divisions:

1. The Trial Division is responsible for most felony criminal and major civil cases;
2. The the Family Division is responsible for Domestic Relations Branch matters (divorce, paternity, custody, child support and domestic violence) and Juvenile Branch cases (delinquency, dependency, and adoptions);
3. The Orphans' Court Division conducts proceedings involving estates, wills and trusts.

Learn more on the Philadelphia Courts website.

Make sure your vote is informed. The Philadelphia Bar Association Judicial Commission makes nonpartisan recommendations on candidates' ability, integrity, and judgment. See those recommendations here.

Candidates for Election

Voters will be told to choose not more than 11. 

• Will Braveman (Democratic)
• Sarah Jones (Democratic)
• Deborah Watson-Stokes (Democratic)
• Kia Ghee (Democratic)
• Irinia Ehrlich (Democratic)
• Larry Farnese (Democratic)
• Leon King II (Democratic)
• Brian Kisielewski (Democratic)
• Anthony Stefanski (Democratic)
• Joseph Russo (Democratic)
• Jennifer Santiago (Democratic)

Candidates for Retention

After serving initial 10-year terms, jurists who seek reelection do so through "retention elections." Retention is designed to keep judges out of the "political fray" while at the same time holding them accountable to the voters. 

Voters are asked to vote "yes" or "no" on whether to reelect each judge seeking retention. The names of the candidates are listed on a separate area of the ballot, apart from individuals running for executive and legislative offices. No political affiliation is listed for retention candidates. (Description provided by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.)

• Gwendolyn Bright
• Ann Butchart
• Scott Diclaudio
• Michael Fanning
• Daine Grey, Jr.
• Christopher Mallios
• Walter Olszewski
• Frank Palumbo
• Rainy Papademetriou
• Tracy Roman
• Stephanie Sawyer
• Susan Schulman
• Lyris Younge