Maureen Lally Green

Supreme Court Justice (93% of vote) Seamus McCaffery (D) . . . 1,097,866 Debra Todd (D) . . . 963,431 Maureen Lally-Green (R) . . . 883,874 Mike Krancer (R) . . . 693,574 Superior Court Judge (92% of vote) Christine Donohue (D) . . . 974,652 Jackie Shogan (R) . . . 865,644 Cheryl Allen (R) . . . 859,951 Ron Folino (D) . . . 827,561 John Younge (D) . . . 756,960 Bruce Bratton (R) . . . 738,315 Supreme Court: Retain Saylor (91% of vote)

IT'S OCT. 22. Do you know where your election is? May's primary almost certainly resolved the question of who is going to be mayor, and the number of forums leading up to that primary set a record for public engagement. But don't forget the general election on Nov. 6. It's not only important to show up and vote, but to pay attention to some of the other key races. One of the most important is the race for three seats on the state Supreme Court. This is considered a pivotal election since it could change the dynamic of the court.

Well-beneath the radar screen of the Philadelphia race for mayor and Pittsburgh's battle for Allegheny County executive fly the stealth campaigns of Pennsylvania - statewide judicial contests. Unseen and unheard, two Democrats and two Republicans, two men, two women, are running for two state Superior Court seats. The court is a mid-level appellate court for criminal and civil cases. Its 15 judges serve 10-year terms at a salary of $121,992 per year. The race, like most statewide judicial races, is virtually invisible, due to restrictions on candidates talking about beliefs or positions - on the theory it could prejudice future cases.

Philadelphia (Contested primaries only.) Mayor Michael Nutter - D. City Council At-Large James F. Kenney - D.(71) W. Wilson Goode Jr. - D.(77) Marc Steir - D.(81) Andrew Toy - D.(84) Derek S. Green - D.(86) District 1 Frank DiCicco - D. District 2 Anna C. Verna - D. District 4 Matthew McClure - D. District 5 Darrell L. Clarke - D. District 7 Maria Quinones Sanchez - D. District 8 Cindy Bass - D. District 9 Marian B. Tasco - D. Municipal Court Button Joyce Eubanks - D.(37)

Four candidates you probably never heard of, running for Pennsylvania's Superior Court, filed campaign expense reports yesterday, disclosing the names of lawyers and others who are writing checks to help them run. All four candidates put together have raised about $135,000. Generally, the biggest contributors are the candidates themselves. If anybody cares to look, the reports are on file at the state bureau of elections in Harrisburg. But if you're interested in recent contributors to the most expensive political campaign in the nation - the race for mayor of Philadelphia - you're out of luck.

Three candidates for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court yesterday called for more openness in the judicial branch to inspire greater public confidence in the wake of citizen anger over the 2005 legislative pay raise. "The entire society of Pennsylvania has learned a lot from what happened with the pay raise," said candidate Maureen Lally-Green, a Republican and state Superior Court judge. The candidates also bemoaned the burden of raising vast amounts of money in the statewide campaign for two seats on the state's highest court.

PENNSYLVANIA'S so-called "reform movement" yesterday lost more of its tenuous grip on state politics as voters rejected reformers' calls to reject statewide judges. Supreme Court Justice Thomas Saylor easily won his yes/no retention election in the face of a "So long, Saylor" effort pushed by anti-pay-raise activists. And six other state judges on Superior and Commonwealth courts, including Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith-Ribner of Philadelphia, were headed to retention victories, too. The throw-them-all-out approach urged by groups such as PACleanSweep no doubt struck many voters as just too unreasonable.

A federal judge has upheld the legality of an unusual $1.2 million advertising campaign in last year's Supreme Court race, ruling that it complied with a settlement to which state Attorney General Thomas Corbett agreed last summer. The combination - Corbett's settlement agreement and this week's ruling by U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody - appears to put a major loophole into Pennsylvania's ban on corporate campaign contributions. Brody ruled that under the settlement agreement, a Virginia-based organization called the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF)

Want to define the high stakes in picking two new justices for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Nov. 6? Just consider the controversy over building two casinos in Philadelphia. Facing months of delay, both the Foxwoods and SugarHouse casinos have asked the Supreme Court to simply sweep aside any city-permit obstacles and order that the slot machine parlors can be built. And guess what? The seven-member court has authority to do just that. Regardless of the city's traffic concerns, zoning issues, or any other civic disputes over siting two casinos on the Delaware River waterfront, the court holds the ace here as it does on most other criminal and civil matters.

He's been a biker, a Philly police officer, a lawyer, the Eagles Court judge, a Marine, an Air Force colonel, and an appellate judge. And now, Seamus P. McCaffery wants more than anything to be a justice on Pennsylvania's highest court. With just seven days until next Tuesday's election, McCaffery, a Democrat from Northeast Philadelphia, hopes voters will see him as a candidate who has worked his way up through life and the law - and will add a populist touch to the oldest appellate court in the nation.

A federal judge has upheld the legality of an unusual $1.2 million advertising campaign in last year's Supreme Court race, ruling that it complied with a settlement to which state Attorney General Thomas Corbett agreed last summer. The combination - Corbett's settlement agreement and this week's ruling by U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody - appears to put a major loophole into Pennsylvania's ban on corporate campaign contributions. Brody ruled that under the settlement agreement, a Virginia-based organization called the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF)

Supreme Court Justice (93% of vote) Seamus McCaffery (D) . . . 1,097,866 Debra Todd (D) . . . 963,431 Maureen Lally-Green (R) . . . 883,874 Mike Krancer (R) . . . 693,574 Superior Court Judge (92% of vote) Christine Donohue (D) . . . 974,652 Jackie Shogan (R) . . . 865,644 Cheryl Allen (R) . . . 859,951 Ron Folino (D) . . . 827,561 John Younge (D) . . . 756,960 Bruce Bratton (R) . . . 738,315 Supreme Court: Retain Saylor (91% of vote)

PENNSYLVANIA'S so-called "reform movement" yesterday lost more of its tenuous grip on state politics as voters rejected reformers' calls to reject statewide judges. Supreme Court Justice Thomas Saylor easily won his yes/no retention election in the face of a "So long, Saylor" effort pushed by anti-pay-raise activists. And six other state judges on Superior and Commonwealth courts, including Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith-Ribner of Philadelphia, were headed to retention victories, too. The throw-them-all-out approach urged by groups such as PACleanSweep no doubt struck many voters as just too unreasonable.

He's been a biker, a Philly police officer, a lawyer, the Eagles Court judge, a Marine, an Air Force colonel, and an appellate judge. And now, Seamus P. McCaffery wants more than anything to be a justice on Pennsylvania's highest court. With just seven days until next Tuesday's election, McCaffery, a Democrat from Northeast Philadelphia, hopes voters will see him as a candidate who has worked his way up through life and the law - and will add a populist touch to the oldest appellate court in the nation.

Want to define the high stakes in picking two new justices for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Nov. 6? Just consider the controversy over building two casinos in Philadelphia. Facing months of delay, both the Foxwoods and SugarHouse casinos have asked the Supreme Court to simply sweep aside any city-permit obstacles and order that the slot machine parlors can be built. And guess what? The seven-member court has authority to do just that. Regardless of the city's traffic concerns, zoning issues, or any other civic disputes over siting two casinos on the Delaware River waterfront, the court holds the ace here as it does on most other criminal and civil matters.

Three candidates for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court yesterday called for more openness in the judicial branch to inspire greater public confidence in the wake of citizen anger over the 2005 legislative pay raise. "The entire society of Pennsylvania has learned a lot from what happened with the pay raise," said candidate Maureen Lally-Green, a Republican and state Superior Court judge. The candidates also bemoaned the burden of raising vast amounts of money in the statewide campaign for two seats on the state's highest court.

They live in the same small dot on the map, they are colleagues on a state appeals court, and after the November election, they could become the two newest members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Maureen Lally-Green, a Republican, has lived in this semirural municipality north of Pittsburgh since 1980. Debra Todd, a Democrat, has resided in Cranberry for about five years. Both were the top vote-getters statewide in the May primary, each ringing up more than a half-million. But if you think the prospect of having two Supreme Court justices living here, just a few miles apart, has Cranberry Township bursting with pride, think again.

IT'S OCT. 22. Do you know where your election is? May's primary almost certainly resolved the question of who is going to be mayor, and the number of forums leading up to that primary set a record for public engagement. But don't forget the general election on Nov. 6. It's not only important to show up and vote, but to pay attention to some of the other key races. One of the most important is the race for three seats on the state Supreme Court. This is considered a pivotal election since it could change the dynamic of the court.

Philadelphia (Contested primaries only.) Mayor Michael Nutter - D. City Council At-Large James F. Kenney - D.(71) W. Wilson Goode Jr. - D.(77) Marc Steir - D.(81) Andrew Toy - D.(84) Derek S. Green - D.(86) District 1 Frank DiCicco - D. District 2 Anna C. Verna - D. District 4 Matthew McClure - D. District 5 Darrell L. Clarke - D. District 7 Maria Quinones Sanchez - D. District 8 Cindy Bass - D. District 9 Marian B. Tasco - D. Municipal Court Button Joyce Eubanks - D.(37)

Well-beneath the radar screen of the Philadelphia race for mayor and Pittsburgh's battle for Allegheny County executive fly the stealth campaigns of Pennsylvania - statewide judicial contests. Unseen and unheard, two Democrats and two Republicans, two men, two women, are running for two state Superior Court seats. The court is a mid-level appellate court for criminal and civil cases. Its 15 judges serve 10-year terms at a salary of $121,992 per year. The race, like most statewide judicial races, is virtually invisible, due to restrictions on candidates talking about beliefs or positions - on the theory it could prejudice future cases.