Races for two mid-level appellate courts on ballot
HARRISBURG – A pair of statewide contests for intermediate-level appellate courts will be decided in the Nov. 3 election alongside the three open seats on the state Supreme Court that have garnered the most spotlight.
Two county judges are vying for an open seat on the state Superior Court: Democrat Alice Beck Dubow and Republican Emil Giordano. Two lawyers are competing for an opening on the state Commonwealth Court: Democrat Michael Wojcik and Republican Paul Lalley.
The 15-member Superior Court, the state’s general appellate court, handles criminal and most civil appeals from the county courts.
The nine-member Commonwealth Court processes civil cases filed against or by the state government and appeals from county courts in cases involving state or local agencies.
All four candidates received “recommended” ratings from a state bar panel that evaluated them before the May primary.
The Commonwealth Court seat is being vacated by President Judge Dan Pellegrini, who reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 this year. The Superior Court seat is being filled on an interim basis by Judge Patricia Jenkins, whose appointment expires this year.
The election winners will serve 10-year terms and receive a salary now at $191,926 a year.
Sketches of the candidates are below.
Alice Beck Dubow
Dubow became a Philadelphia judge after a 23-year legal career that included stints in private practice, city government and academia.
A Democrat whose mother was the first woman elected to Superior Court, Dubow was appointed to the Philadelphia bench by Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell in July 2007 and elected to a full term four months later.
Dubow, 56, worked in private practice after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She subsequently worked for the Philadelphia city solicitor’s office, handling commercial litigation and tax matters, and served as deputy general counsel at Drexel University.
In the May primary, Dubow defeated a county judge who self-financed his campaign to protest the growing role of outside political contributions while she raised enough money to put up early TV spots.
By Oct. 19, she had taken in more than $550,000, far more than the other mid-level appellate court candidates.
Emil Giordano
Giordano, 55, has been a Northampton County judge since 2004.
A graduate of Villanova University Law School, Giordano spent two years as a county prosecutor in Binghamton, New York, before returning to Pennsylvania to open a private law practice in 1988. His work has included criminal defense, workers’ compensation and municipal law.
The Republican also has served as solicitor for several municipalities.
Giordano, who is serving his second 10-year term as a Northampton County judge, also serves as the administrative judge of the county orphans’ court.
He had been nominated for the Northampton bench in 2002 by Republican Gov. Mark Schweiker but failed to win Senate confirmation. He was elected the following year.
Giordano, who was unopposed in the primary, raised nearly $250,000.
Michael Wojcik
Wojcik has struggled to raise money in his campaign for Commonwealth Court, but Democrats in the May primary picked him over the party-endorsed candidate.
The Pittsburgh lawyer, 51, has been a litigator for 26 years, working for law firms of varying size and local governments on a wide range of legal issues.
He received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh Law School. In addition to working for private law firms, Wojcik spent eight years as Allegheny County solicitor, and he is solicitor for the Allegheny County Airport Authority.
In the primary, Wojcik beat labor lawyer Todd Eagen, the grandson of a former state Supreme Court justice. But Wojcik had raised $191,000 through Oct. 19, the least of the four mid-level appellate candidates competing in the general election.
Paul Lalley
At 45, Paul Lalley is the youngest of the candidates seeking election to the appellate bench.
A graduate of Dickinson Law School in Carlisle, Lally has worked for a Pittsburgh law firm for six years, specializing in labor and employment law.
Previously, he worked for the general counsel of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, representing school districts and public school entities in employment matters.
The Pittsburgh resident was unopposed for the GOP nomination in the primary.