You have probably heard about Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court retention vote. And how it will be one of the most closely-watched races in the country.

That vote takes place on the back of your ballot.

On the front of the ballot are two other statewide contests that will place new judges on Pennsylvania’s Superior and Commonwealth Courts.

In the eighth in our series previewing the 2025 municipal general election, we focus on the vacancy on the 15-member Superior Court – one of the state’s two intermediate appellate courts — that handles both criminal and civil cases that have been appealed from the Court of Common Pleas.

The 15-member state Superior Court has had a vacancy since Judge Daniel McCaffery was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2023. Pennsylvania is one of only a few states with partisan judicial elections, and out of the current 14 Superior Court judges, eight originally ran as Democrats and six ran as Republicans. Three candidates are running for a 10-year term: Democrat and current Washington County Judge Brandon Neuman, Republican Maria Battista, a legal consultant, and the Liberal Party’s Daniel Wassmer, an attorney and instructor. All three have worked in private practice, but two have state government experience.

Brandon Neuman

Neuman is a Washington County Common Pleas judge and a former trial lawyer for a Pittsburgh firm, with a specialty in representing nursing-home residents who alleged neglect and abuse. Neuman has ruled in favor of efforts to notify voters if their mail-in ballots contain errors and inform them of their right to vote via provisional ballot. He ran uncontested in the Democratic primary.

Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Washington County
Education: J.D., Duquesne University; M.S.L., University of Pittsburgh; B.A., Criminal Justice, University of Richmond
Current occupation: Judge, Washington County Court of Common Pleas
Related experience: Eight years on Common Pleas Court with a focus on civil and veteran-related cases, former state House member who served on judicial and crime-related commissions during his time in Harrisburg, trial lawyer.
Supporters/endorsements: “Highly recommended” by the Pennsylvania Bar Association and backed by Democratic state leaders, more than a dozen labor groups and three major law-enforcement unions.
Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Fundraising (reported as of 9/15/25):
Total raised: $541,484.00
Total spent: $208,958.83

Maria Battista

Battista is a legal consultant who began her career in private practice. She went on to work as an assistant district attorney and later an attorney for the state. Battista was unsuccessful in her 2023 run for Superior Court, coming in third behind two Democrats for open seats. In May, she won the Republican primary by beating Ann Marie Wheatcraft with nearly 54% of the vote. She did not participate in the state Bar Association recommendation process and has not been rated by the group.

Party: Republican
Place of residence: Clarion County
Education: J.D., Ohio Northern University; Ed.D., University of Pittsburgh; M.Ed., Westminster College; B.S., elementary education and communications, Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Current occupation: President of government services at the Judge Group, a consulting company
Related experience: Six years with the state Office of General Counsel, providing legal expertise to the departments of Health and State and serving as an administrative hearing officer. Battista has been an assistant district attorney in Franklin and Venango counties, and a contract specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Supporters/endorsements: Backed by the state Republican Party and county Republican committees, several Second Amendment groups, the state Sheriff’s Association PAC, and a handful of conservative Latino organizations.
Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter | LinkedIn
Fundraising (reported as of 9/15/25):
Total raised: $154,507.80
Total spent: $49,474.99

Daniel Wassmer

Wassmer is a perennial candidate for the Liberal Party (formerly known as the Keystone Party), having run against Josh Shapiro for state attorney general and John Fetterman for U.S. Senate. He owns a private law firm in southeastern Pennsylvania and teaches business management and paralegal studies at a local community college. He did not participate in the state Bar Association recommendation process and has not been rated by the group.

Party: Liberal
Place of residence: Pike County
Education: J.D., New York Law School; M.B.A and B.A. after attending Nassau Community College, Utah State University, and Adelphi University.
Current occupation: Private-practice attorney and adjunct professor at Bucks County Community College
Related experience: More than 20 years working as an attorney
Supporters/endorsements: Liberal Party of Pennsylvania
Links: Website
Fundraising: None reported