2019 general election: Judge Serfass, state judges face retention votes

Five judges, including Carbon County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven R. Serfass and four state appellate court jurists, face judicial retention votes in the general election of 2019 that will be held on Nov. 5.

Serfass, who was elected to his first 10-year term on the Carbon bench in November 2009, became the 18th judge to be elected in the county and joined President Judge Roger Nanovic in presiding over the local court.

Voters will be asked to cast simple “yes” or “no” votes on the question of whether or not Serfass should be retained for another 10-year term.

The courts of common pleas hear civil cases with an amount in controversy in excess of $7,000 and trials for serious crimes. They have original jurisdiction over all cases not exclusively assigned to another court and appellate jurisdiction over judgments from the minor courts. They also hear appeals from certain state government and most local government agencies.

The courts of common pleas also hear matters involving family law (cases involving adoption, divorce, child custody, abuse and neglect, and guardianships), juvenile delinquency, trusts and estates (such as probate), and charitable organizations.

Common Pleas Court judges are state employees and are paid $176,572 annually.

Appellate court retentions

In each of two of the state appeals courts — Superior and Commonwealth — two judges are also facing retention votes.

They include Anne Lazarus and Judith F. Olson on the Superior Court and Kevin Brobson and Patricia McCullough on the Commonwealth Court.

The nine-judge Commonwealth Court’s jurisdiction is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the courts of common pleas involving public sector legal questions and government regulation. The court also functions as a trial court in some civil actions by or against the commonwealth and cases regarding statewide elections.

Appeals to the Superior Court are generally of right from final decisions of the courts of common pleas. Although different panels of three judges may sit to hear appeals, there is only one Superior Court, that being based in Harrisburg, although the judges sit to hear cases in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The four state judges were each elected in the 2009 general election and took their places on the bench in January 2010. They are paid $191,926 annually.

Two to be elected

Meanwhile, there is a competitive race for two seats that are open on the Superior Court. The candidates in that race are Democrats Amanda Green-Hawkins and Daniel D. McCaffery and Republicans Megan McCarthy-King and Christylee Peck.

Green-Hawkins, a Pittsburgh attorney, is a former Allegheny County Council member. McCaffery is a judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. McCarthy-King is an assistant district attorney in Lancaster County. Peck is a judge on the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas.

Referendum

There is also a referendum question facing voters this year, that pertaining to the rights of crime victims.

The question reads: “Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to grant certain rights to crime victims, including to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity; considering their safety in bail proceedings; timely notice and opportunity to take part in public proceedings; reasonable protection from the accused; right to refuse discovery requests made by the accused; restitution and return of property; proceedings free from delay; and to be informed of these rights, so they can enforce them?”