Elections were held inPennsylvania on November 8, 2011, to filljudicial positions and allowjudicial retention votes. The necessaryprimary elections were held on May 17, 2011.[1]
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 County results Wecht: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Stabile: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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There was one vacancy to fill on theSuperior Court of Pennsylvania. The seat being vacated is currently held byRobert A. Freedberg, who decided not to run in the election because he would facemandatory retirement due to his age in three years.[2]
Vic Stabile, a partner in aHarrisburg law firm, and Paula A. Patrick, a judge on the Philadelphia CountyCourt of Common Pleas, faced off for theRepublican nomination.[3] Both candidates received a rating of "recommended" from thePennsylvania Bar Association.[4] Stabile won the endorsement of the Republican State Committee.[5] ThePittsburgh Post-Gazette also endorsed Stabile for the Republican nomination.[3]The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Patrick.[6]
On theDemocratic side,David N. Wecht, currently a judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, was the only candidate to file; therefore he ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election.[3] He received a rating of "highly recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association.[4]
The election was held on May 17, 2011. Stabile won the Republican primary, receiving 378,566 votes (65.3%) against Patrick's 200,856 (34.7%). Wecht received 605,665 votes (100.0%).[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Vic Stabile | 379,829 | 65.32% | |
| Republican | Paula A. Patrick | 201,679 | 34.68% | |
| Total votes | 581,508 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Wecht | 606,793 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 606,793 | 100.0% | ||
Stabile and Wecht faced each other in the general election. Wecht was endorsed in the general election byThe Philadelphia Inquirer and thePittsburgh Post-Gazette, which both cited his judicial experience.[8][9] Stabile was endorsed byThe Patriot-News, which cited his "down-to-earth approach".[10]
In the general election on November 8, Wecht won the seat with 1,029,560 votes (54.5%) against Stabile's 859,687 (45.5%).[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Wecht | 1,030,004 | 54.51% | ||
| Republican | Vic Stabile | 859,484 | 45.49% | ||
| Total votes | 1,889,488 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
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 County results Covey: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Boockvar: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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There was one vacancy on theCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. The seat to be vacated is currently held by Republican Johnny Butler, appointed after JudgeDoris Smith-Ribner retired,[12] who decided not to run in the election.[5]
Anne Covey, a private labor attorney, and Paul P. Panepinto, a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, contended for the Republican nomination.[13] They received bar association ratings of "recommended" and "highly recommended", respectively.[14] Covey won the endorsement of the Republican State Committee.[5] Covey was also endorsed for the Republican nomination by bothThe Philadelphia Inquirer and thePittsburgh Post-Gazette.[6][13]
Kathryn Boockvar, an attorney who most recently worked for theAdvancement Project and had previously spent 11 years in private practice, and Barbara Behrend Ernsberger, who has spent her career in private practice, competed for the Democratic nomination.[13] Boockvar received a rating of "recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association; Ernsberger received a rating of "not recommended" because she did not participate in the bar association evaluation process.[14] Boockvar won the endorsement of the Democratic State Committee.[13]The Philadelphia Inquirer and thePittsburgh Post-Gazette also endorsed Boockvar for the Democratic nomination.[6][13]
In the election on May 17, 2011, Covey received 406,764 votes (70.3%) and Panepinto received 171,996 (29.7%).[7] The Democratic race was much closer: the initial results showed that Boockvar had received 311,624 votes (50.2%) and Ernsberger had received 309,508 (49.8%).[7] Because the margin was less than half of a percent, these results triggered arecount, mandatory unless waived by the trailing candidate.[15] Ernsberger declined to waive her right to a recount.[15] On June 8, 2011, theSecretary of the Commonwealth announced that the recount had confirmed Boockvar's victory.[16] The figures were nearly the same; in the final tally, Boockvar had 311,732 votes (50.2%) and Ernsberger had 309,680 (49.8%).[16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Anne Covey | 408,179 | 70.29% | |
| Republican | Paul Panepinto | 172,560 | 29.71% | |
| Total votes | 580,739 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kathryn Boockvar | 311,732 | 50.17% | |
| Democratic | Barbara Behrend Ernsberger | 309,680 | 49.83% | |
| Total votes | 621,412 | 100.0% | ||
Covey and Boockvar faced each other in the general election. Covey was endorsed in the general election byThe Philadelphia Inquirer, which noted her "quasi-judicial experience of having served on the state's labor relations board".[8] Boockvar was endorsed by thePittsburgh Post-Gazette andThe Patriot-News, which both praised her breadth of experience.[9][17]
In the general election on November 8, Covey won with 978,634 votes (52.4%) against Boockvar's 890,701 (47.6%).[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Anne Covey | 968,796 | 52.10% | ||
| Democratic | Kathryn Boockvar | 890,831 | 47.90% | ||
| Total votes | 1,859,627 | 100.0% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
The following judges were up for retention in the 2011 general election:
The Pennsylvania Bar Association recommended retention of all six judges.[18]
Eakin actively campaigned for retention, raising $526,000—more than any of the four candidates contending for the open seats on the Superior Court and the Commonwealth Court—and airingtelevision advertisements.[19]
In the general election on November 8, voters elected to retain all six judges. All the judges won their retention elections by a wide margin; each of them was favored for retention by over 70% of voters.[11]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes | 1,097,368 | 73.59 |
| No | 393,728 | 26.41 |
| Total votes | 1,491,096 | 100.00 |
| Source: PA Department of State[11] | ||
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,041,421 | 71.86 |
| No | 407,753 | 28.14 |
| Total votes | 1,449,174 | 100.00 |
| Source: PA Department of State[11] | ||
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,067,446 | 73.56 |
| No | 383,594 | 26.44 |
| Total votes | 1,451,040 | 100.00 |
| Source: PA Department of State[11] | ||
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,016,483 | 70.54 |
| No | 424,532 | 29.46 |
| Total votes | 1,441,015 | 100.00 |
| Source: PA Department of State[11] | ||
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,029,890 | 71.93 |
| No | 401,926 | 28.07 |
| Total votes | 1,431,816 | 100.00 |
| Source: PA Department of State[11] | ||
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,181,104 | 75.16 |
| No | 390,395 | 24.84 |
| Total votes | 1,571,499 | 100.00 |
| Source: PA Department of State[11] | ||
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