PA Votes Yes To Another Decade Of Leftist Supreme Court Activism
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, currently dominated by a 5-2 Democratic majority, will continue issuing left-leaning rulings as voters retained three veteran justices-Kevin M. Dougherty, David Wecht, and Christine Donohue-for another 10 years. The retention votes reflected party lines, with Democratic-leaning urban counties strongly supporting the justices, while rural, Republican-majority areas largely opposed them. These justices have favored lenient election law enforcement, including issues related to mail-in ballots, and have been active in protecting abortion access. Notably, they reversed restrictions on using Medicaid funds for abortions and supported efforts to embed abortion rights in the state constitution. The justices’ retention ensures the continuation of their activist approach for at least a decade, with potential future retirements a decade away.
The Pennsylvania state Supreme Court will continue issuing hard left opinions, with its seven members made up of five Democrats and two Republicans. Pennsylvania voters elected to retain three elderly, activist state Supreme Court justices for another decade, and the results fell along the usual party lines, with Democrats generally in favor of the retentions and Republicans generally opposed.
Supreme Court Justices Kevin M. Dougherty, 63; David Wecht, 63; and Christine Donohue, 72, have all been on the bench for 10 years and will continue working together another 10 years, after 61 percent of voters statewide voted yes to retain each justice, and 39 percent voted no.
A look at how counties voted shows the parties behind those numbers. In Democrat majority Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is the county seat, 71-72 percent voted yes and 28-29 percent voted no to retention.
In rural, Republican majority Somerset County, 39 percent voted yes and 61 percent voted no. This is the exact inverse of the statewide count, by percentage. But as usual, the high population, Democrat-led cities overtake the wishes of rural Republicans.
These retention votes were a test for Pennsylvanians to decide if they want to allow the court to continue down its left-leaning path or potentially bring a better balance to the bench by adding a few Republicans.
They are sure to hear more election integrity cases and any cases that arise out of the 2028 presidential election. Already they have favored lax enforcement of election rules such as matching the signature of a mail-in ballot to the voter registration signature, or ballots arriving late. They lean toward counting such improper ballots so the voter is not disenfranchised.
Big money was spent on advertising for the justice retention vote. It promoted keeping Dougherty, Wecht, and Donohue on the bench to “protect” abortion access.
The three justices have proven a friend to abortion mills. In 2024 they reversed a rule banning Pennsylvanians from using taxpayer-funded Medicaid coverage to pay for abortions. They were endorsed by Planned Parenthood PA PAC. Abortion law is in play Pennsylvania, with the recent passing of six extreme pro-abortion measures, including the plan to enshrine “the right to an abortion” into the state Constitution. The change would remove all restrictions, allowing abortion up to the moment of birth.
It will be 10 years before voters can offer these justices feedback again. By then, Donohue will be 82 and perhaps considering retirement. Dougherty and Wecht will be 73 and could certainly decide to go for a third decade.
Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
