Pennsylvania’s unprecedented judicial retention battle is, at least in part, a sign of a healthy democracy. However, the well-funded attempt to unseat three state Supreme Court justices, primarily on the basis of party affiliation, only turns judicial elections into just another Republican-versus-Democrat slugfest, without regard for the unique nature of the judicial function of government.

If the framers of the Keystone State’s constitution had wanted judicial elections to result in lifetime appointments, they would have designed the commonwealth’s government that way.

Instead, they incorporated an accountability mechanism: decennial opportunities for voters to choose to recall or retain judges from the county level through the statewide Commonwealth, Superior and Supreme Courts. This i

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