Statewide primary elections for various state offices were held in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on May 15, 2007.[1] Pennsylvania's general elections were then held statewide on November 6, 2007.[2]
Two seats were open on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, after Justice Russell Nigro, a Democrat, and Justice Sandra Schultz Newman, a Republican, vacated their seats. Justice Nigro vacated his seat on December 31, 2005, after failing to be retained for an additional 10-year term.[3] Justice Schultz Newman, unlike her counterpart, did succeed in being retained to an additional 10-year term in 2005, but decided to retire on December 31, 2006.[4] Governor Ed Rendell appointed Cynthia Baldwin,[5] a Democrat, and James Fitzgerald,[6] a Republican,[7] to fill the vacancies of Justice Nigro and Justice Schultz Newman, respectively. Neither incumbent Justice sought reelection.
The election of Justices McCaffery and Todd, flipped the Supreme Court from a 4–3 Republican majority to a 4–3 Democratic majority.[8]
Initially, there were only two seats open on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. These seats were open due to the retirement of Judge Joseph A. Del Sole, a Democrat,[13] in September 2006, as well as the impending mandatory retirement of Judge Joseph A. Hudock, a Democrat,[14] on December 31, 2007. Judge Del Sole's seat was held by Judge Robert C. Daniels, a Republican[7] who was appointed by Governor Ed Rendell.[6] Judge Daniels did not run for re-election.
A third seat was on the November ballot because Judge Michael T. Joyce announced his retirement to be scheduled for January 2008 after being indicted by a grand jury for mail fraud and money laundering.[15] Since Judge Joyce announced his retirement after the May primary, the Democratic and Republican state committees nominated a third candidate at their respective party conventions. Jacqueline Shogan, a Pittsburgh attorney, was chosen as the Republican candidate, after facing opposition from state senator Jane Earll.[16]John Younge, a Judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, was chosen as the Democratic nominee, facing no opposition.[16] Both Shogan and Younge had earlier lost the race for their respective nominations in the May primary.
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