Overview
- Three justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht — face up-or-down retention votes next month that would determine new 10-year terms.
- A Franklin & Marshall poll shows major shares of voters undecided, though likely-voter samples give the justices double‑digit leads to be retained.
- Ad spending has reached nearly $5 million with more booked, as Gov. Josh Shapiro fronts a pro‑retention ad focused on protecting abortion and birth control and Planned Parenthood Votes launches a six‑figure mail push.
- Republican-aligned groups, including the RSLC and PACs tied to billionaire Jeff Yass, are urging “no” votes with messaging on elections and mailers critics say are deceptive about redistricting, drawing warnings from the League of Women Voters.
- If any justice is not retained, interim appointments would require two‑thirds Senate confirmation and vacancies could persist to 2027, potentially deadlocking the court and affecting rulings on election law and Medicaid abortion coverage.