The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which serves at the highest court in the commonwealth, is the highest office open in this year’s November elections. Judge Daniel McCaffery, a Democrat from Philadelphia, is vying for an open seat on the court to maintain its Democratic majority.
McCaffery has served on the bench for 10 years, first being elected to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in 2013, then as the top vote-getter to the state Superior Court in 2019. The Superior Court is an appellate court that oversees civil and criminal cases that had previously been ruled on and appealed in lower courts. Being the busiest appellate court in the country, McCaffery said that his average day sees “lots of editing” with legal clerks due to the number of cases that come through.
Before attending Temple University and the institution’s School of Law, McCaffery served in the First Cavalry Division of the United States Army. McCaffrey said that the military showed him “the need to give back, the need to serve the public” that ultimately brought him into the law profession.
McCaffery also noted the way in which his military service impacts his judicial philosophy. He said that being able to “put everyone on the same page,” set aside differences and complete a mission has been vital to him in his time as a judge.
The manner in which differences are ignored in the military is particularly relevant for McCaffery. He said that on the Superior Court, and in a potential position on the Supreme Court, personal views should never play a role in the way a judge decides a case. On the Supreme Court, cases that go there are those that had ambiguities in prior rulings, and McCaffery said the expectation is that “you apply the statutory intent,” regardless of personal views.
The Supreme Court election is being held to fill a vacancy created after the death of Chief Justice Max Baer in September 2022. The partisan majority of the Supreme Court would stay in the 5-2 Democratic majority it was before Baer’s passing if McCaffery is elected.
Election Day is from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Students who are registered to vote at Dickinson can do so at Bosler Memorial Library, across the street from Denny Hall. More information about McCaffery and his campaign can be found on his website, judgemccaffery.com.
