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SUPREME COURT
–The Supreme Court chooses which appeals it wants to hear, and thus makes decisions in only a few hundred cases per year — often ones with significant statewide implications.
-There are 7 judges that serve a 10yr term.
–After 10yrs they must run in a yes/no retention election if they wish to remain on the court.
Judge Carolyn Carluccio is the incumbent Common Pleas Judge from Montgomery County who will bring unmatched experience, proven temperament, and unquestionable impartiality to Pennsylvania’s highest court.
Judge Carluccio was elected to the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court in November of 2009, where she served with distinction on the family, criminal, and civil court benches. Last year, she was unanimously chosen by her peers to serve as the Court’s first female President Judge in the county’s history. Judge Carluccio earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dickinson College and her Juris Doctor Degree from Delaware Law School.
SUPERIOR COURT
–The Superior Court rules on criminal, family & civil appeals from the lower Courts of Common Pleas, and it does not have discretion in the cases it chooses — making it the busiest of the three appellate courts.
-There are 15 judges who serve a 10yr term.
-After 10yrs they must run in a yes/no retention election if they wish to remain on the court.
Judge Harry Smail Jr. has been a Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas judge for more than eight years. Judge Smail was appointed to the court by former Governor Tom Corbett in 2014 and was unanimously confirmed by the State Senate.
Smail’s rulings have shaped the application of the law regarding land use and energy development, the Second Amendment, election law, and other areas. Judge Smail has also served as the Elections Judge in Westmoreland County, overseeing recounts and petition challenges, among other issues. In 2020, He presided over critical election law cases that upheld essential anti-fraud requirements for casting a mail-in ballot. Judge Smail is a graduate of Grove City College and Duquesne University School of Law.
Maria Battista has more than 15 years of legal experience in civil, criminal, and administrative law and is a former Assistant District Attorney. She is also a skilled mediator and public speaker.
As a Commonwealth attorney, Battista was counsel in the Departments of Health and State. For three years, Battista was a hearing examiner where she presided over hundreds of cases, including for the Department of Corrections and Probation and Parole. Those who know her best have found her to have a strong legal mind, while still showing compassion. Battista has been a presenter for continuing legal education courses in mediation, oral arguments before appellate courts, and health care matters. She plans to use her diverse legal and educational background to establish an office that is efficient, accountable, and transparent.
COMMONWEALTH COURT
-The Commonwealth Court is an intermediate appellate court like the Superior Court, however, it exclusively handles legal matters brought by & against the Pennsylvania state government.
-There are 9 judges who serve a 10yr term.
-After 10yrs they must run in a yes/no retention election if they wish to remain on the court.
Megan Martin will bring a deep respect for our republic, an understanding of the separation of powers, and a reverence for the rule of law to our Commonwealth Court.
Martin has the unique distinction of having served in all three branches of our state government and as an attorney for the United States Navy. Martin made history when she became the first woman to serve as the Pennsylvania Senate’s Secretary-Parliamentarian. There, she managed the legislative process with diligence and care for more than a decade, ensuring that the constitution, laws, and rules of the Senate were followed throughout the legislative process. Martin will be a fair and impartial jurist who will stand up for constitutional rights, will not legislate from the bench, but instead apply the law as it was written by the General Assembly.