Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
Judicial retention isn’t exactly a phrase that rolls off the tongue. But on Saturday, members of Philadelphia labor unions set out across the city to make sure people know what it is — and to encourage them to vote “yes” on Tuesday to keep Democratic control of the state Supreme Court. Outside the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 21 in Northeast Philadelphia, they staved off the November cold with pretzels, coffee, and breakfast pizzas, while union leaders took the stage at a kickoff get-out-the-vote rally. “The camaraderie is amazing,” said Gary Arocho, 32, an apprentice insulation installer. Arocho said that before he joined the union, he wasn’t really politically active. Now, he feels more connected to the issues. “Everyone is going to vote for who they want — that’s how it should be," Arocho said. But the GOTV campaign aims to help raise awareness about the retention election. » READ MORE: Why Pa. voters are asked to choose ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for some judges on Election Day The push to draw support for the three Democratic state Supreme Court justices, and two other Democratic judges up for retention, came just three days before this year’s municipal election. The Philadelphia district attorney’s race and several open commonwealth and superior court races are also on the ballot. » READ MORE: Philly’s guide to the Nov. 4 election In Pennsylvania, once judges are elected, they face a retention vote every 10 years. If people vote against retaining a judge, then the governor must appoint a temporary replacement; with state Senate approval, an open race is held. Only one Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice — Russell Nigro in 2005 — has been voted out through retention since the state constitution was updated in 1968. But this year, there’s been an effort by Republican groups to oust the justices, a move that would help Republicans flip control of the state’s highest court in the long run. Saturday morning, dozens of union members gathered to ensure that doesn’t happen. » READ MORE: More than $7 million has poured into the Pa. Supreme Court judicial retention election so far People often forget about the municipal races, said Tim Crowther, IUPAT DC 21 political director. But this year, there’s a lot at stake, he said. Crowther said the Democratic judges will help protect wages and benefits, safe and secure job sites, and the rights of workers to unionize. With about 60,000 members in the building trades in the region the union’s endorsements aren’t about Republicans or Democrats, but rather, supporting workers’ rights, said Philadelphia Building Trades Business Representative Brian Eddis. “We’re not an R or a D,” Eddis said of the union. “We’re a J for a job.” As it happens, though, all five of the justices up for retention are Democrats. One of the justices, Kevin Dougherty, mingled with the crowd Saturday and briefly took the stage to thank union members. ”I have nothing more to say than thank you,“ Dougherty told the crowd. ”I appreciate you giving your time, your energy, and working for all of us." Dougherty is part of a well-known family in Philadelphia Democratic politics. His brother, John Dougherty, is the former head of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 98 and played a pivotal role in getting his brother elected to the Supreme Court. Last year, John Dougherty was sentenced to six years in prison following convictions for bribery and embezzlement. Justice Kevin Dougherty’s son, Sean Dougherty, was elected to the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2014. Dougherty, along with state Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue and David Wecht, have come under fire from groups such as Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs, a political nonprofit that has funded advertisements asking people to vote “no.” The group’s president and CEO, Matthew Brouillette, argued that Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices have ignored established law and have issued orders that mainly benefit Democrats, such as when the court struck down a GOP-drawn Congressional map in 2018. Brouillette said he also opposed the court’s decisions allowing undated mail ballots and ballots that arrived after 8 p.m. on election day to be counted. “Pennsylvanians deserve the chance to elect new justices who will follow the law,” Brouillette said. “Voting ‘no’ will give them that chance.” At the rally Saturday, national political issues loomed over the municipal election. Sprinkler Fitters Local 692 Business Manager Wayne Miller said he worries about efforts in other states by GOP-controlled state legislatures to redraw Congressional maps — widely seen as an effort to prevent Democrats from retaking the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. The recent redistricting wave came after a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, a decision that could add up to 19 Republican seats in Congress if GOP-controlled state legislatures aggressively gerrymander the districts. A successful Democratic turnout this year, Miller said, would set the stage for the midterms. “This is the start of taking back the presidency of the United States, the House, and the Senate,” Miller told the crowd. For Philadelphia Building Trades Business Manager Ryan Boyer, recent decisions by Republican President Donald Trump have shown the real-world impact of elections. In particular, Boyer blames the Trump administration for shutting down a plan to bring hydrogen hubs to shuttered refineries in Pennsylvania. The initiative was projected to create 20,000 jobs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, according to an October WHYY report. Still, he hopes people will turn out and vote, regardless of what they decide. “Judges are important,” Boyer said, emphasizing that all elections are significant, not just during midterms or presidential election years. “We take an attitude that there’s an important election every six months.”
