Pennsylvania judge's race pits two women from Bucks

Forget about voting based on gender. You can throw out geography, too.

This year, before Pennsylvanians elect a new Commonwealth Court judge, they may actually have to do some homework.

That's because the Republicans' endorsed candidate, Anne Covey, is an accomplished female lawyer from Bucks County.

And the Democrats' endorsed candidate, Kathryn Boockvar, is, well, an accomplished female lawyer from Bucks County.

"I wonder what the odds of that are," marvels Boockvar, 42, of Doylestown Township.

"Good fertilizer and fresh air," jokes Covey, 51, of Upper Makefield Township, when asked about the county's suddenly lush crop of candidates.

Boockvar and Covey emerged from state committee meetings last month with their parties' nods for one of the most important yet obscure posts on the statewide ballot.

For women in the legal profession, the endorsements presage a proud moment. Barring a surprise win by a non-endorsed candidate in the May 17 primary, the selections all but ensure that a 5-4 female majority would be restored on Commonwealth Court.

Superior Court, Pennsylvania's other intermediate appellate court, already has a 9-6 female majority. In fact, of seven appellate seats on the 2009 ballot, six went to women, said Art Heinz, spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

"Women used to be so underrepresented in the legal community that most of the judicial candidates tended to be male," said Lynn Marks, executive director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, a statewide, nonpartisan court-reform organization. "Now with more women coming up through the ranks, we are seeing more women on the appellate courts."

For some voters, the presence of two women from the same county on the fall ballot could prove confounding. Many have no clue who the candidates in judicial races are and cast votes based on characteristics such as sex, race, geography, or party.

"I guarantee if you went out and asked people what the Commonwealth Court does, they'll have no idea," said Pat Poprik, vice chair of the Bucks County Republican Committee. "Because the candidates are both from the same area, people may rely a little more on their parties for recommendations."

"This takes gender and geography off the table," said Neil Samuels, executive director of the Bucks County Democratic Committee. "It's a really good thing for the voters, because it means they will have to look at the records."