Judge Daniel D. McCaffery

The son of Irish immigrants, Judge McCaffery is a military veteran and a former Assistant District Attorney of Philadelphia. He also has 16 years of experience as a civil trial attorney. Judge McCaffery has served on the Pennsylvania Superior Court since 2019.

The State Supreme Court, where critical cases related to voting rights, gerrymandering, equitable school funding and more have recently been decided, is a must-win for PA Democrats this year. The Supreme Court is the state’s last line of defense against attempts to overturn election results and erect barriers to ballot access.

The Court currently has a balance of 4-2 in favor of Democrats, but a win for Republicans this year means that they could flip the court in 2025.

Judge Matt Wolf

Judge Wolf is a veteran and a current Supervising Civil Judge on the Philadelphia Municipal Court. Elected in 2017, he is best known in this role as one of the architects of the city’s innovative eviction diversion program which has received national attention as a model that can be implemented in other cities to reduce homelessness and the effects of poverty on families.

The PA Commonwealth Court is an appellate court that hears cases involving state agencies, certain types of civil litigation and challenges to state election laws. Appeals to Commonwealth Court decisions go directly to the Supreme Court, but most of the cases end at this level.

Jill Beck

Jill Beck is a Pittsburgh native with a background as a children’s legal advocate, State Supreme Court clerk and civil litigator. Her extensive pro bono legal work includes addressing systemic criminal justice reform, aiding voter protection efforts, and representing victims of domestic violence.

The PA Superior Court is a statewide court that handles appeals in criminal and civil cases. It plays a major role in criminal justice oversight and reform.

Judge Lane, a native of West Philadelphia, currently serves on PA’s Court of Common Pleas. While there, she has overseen cases related to human trafficking, domestic violence, other violent crimes, and complex civil litigation.

In addition to her time on the Court, Judge Lane has also served as a law clerk, child advocate, trial attorney, chief legal counselor to a state senator and chair to various government committees and commissions for parole, crime, and the judiciary.

There are two open positions on the PA Superior Court. Judge Lane is running for one position along with fellow Democrat Jill Beck.

Cities, towns and counties across the state are having elections to determine their next mayors, city council members, commissioners and other local leadership positions. These individuals are the government officials that often have the most immediate and visible impact on people’s daily lives: handling management of public spaces, providing basic services such as water and trash removal, overseeing emergency services like police departments. Municipalities and counties can in some cases also act more quickly than state and federal governments on critical issues like climate action, criminal justice reform, affordable housing and more.

In the race for mayor of Philadelphia, for example, former City Council member Cherelle Parker (pictured) won the Democratic nomination on a platform of reducing gun violence in the city and introducing year-round schooling to improve educational outcomes for students. If she wins as expected in November, she will be the first woman to lead the city in its 341-year history.

School districts across the state are also holding elections this year for board members. These individuals make decisions related to funding school programs, investing in school infrastructure, approving learning curriculums, and providing for students’ wellbeing.

In recent years, school board elections have been targeted by far-right activists across the country as part of a campaign to erase LGBTQ identity from schools, prevent teaching on the history of race in America and enforce ultraconservative standards on all learning materials.