Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio defeated Patricia McCullough in the Republican primary for one seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on May 16, 2023. Carluccio will face Daniel D. McCaffery (D) in the general election on Nov. 7.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort. It can hear appeals from statewide and local courts and assume jurisdiction over any case in the Pennsylvania court system. Spotlight PA’s Kate Huangpu and Stephen Caruso wrote, “The state Supreme Court takes on relatively few cases, but its rulings can have a major impact on politics and policy in Pennsylvania. In recent years, the court has decided cases on reproductive rights, mask mandates, and election disputes.”
Justices run in partisan elections for 10-year terms. After a judge’s first term, they must run in a retention election to serve subsequent terms. The general election winner will succeed Justice Max Baer (D), who passed away on Sept. 30, 2022. Baer’s term expired in 2023, and he was unable to run for re-election since Pennsylvania judges must retire at the end of the calendar year in which they reach 75 years of age.
