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Statewide primary elections for various state offices were held in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on May 15, 2007. Pennsylvania's general elections were then held statewide on November 6, 2007.
Two seats were open on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, after Justice Russell Nigro, a Democrat, and Justice Sandra Schultz Newman, a Republican, vacated their seats. Justice Nigro vacated his seat on December 31, 2005, after failing to be retained for an additional 10-year term. Justice Schultz Newman, unlike her counterpart, did succeed in being retained to an additional 10-year term in 2005, but decided to retire on December 31, 2006. Governor Ed Rendell appointed Cynthia Baldwin, a Democrat, and James Fitzgerald, a Republican, to fill the vacancies of Justice Nigro and Justice Schultz Newman, respectively. Neither incumbent Justice sought reelection.
The election of Justices McCaffery and Todd, flipped the Supreme Court from a 4–3 Republican majority to a 4–3 Democratic majority.
Initially, there were only two seats open on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. These seats were open due to the retirement of Judge Joseph A. Del Sole, a Democrat, in September 2006, as well as the impending mandatory retirement of Judge Joseph A. Hudock, a Democrat, on December 31, 2007. Judge Del Sole's seat was held by Judge Robert C. Daniels, a Republican who was appointed by Governor Ed Rendell. Judge Daniels did not run for re-election.
A third seat was on the November ballot because Judge Michael T. Joyce announced his retirement to be scheduled for January 2008 after being indicted by a grand jury for mail fraud and money laundering. Since Judge Joyce announced his retirement after the May primary, the Democratic and Republican state committees nominated a third candidate at their respective party conventions. Jacqueline Shogan, a Pittsburgh attorney, was chosen as the Republican candidate, after facing opposition from state senator Jane Earll. John Younge, a Judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, was chosen as the Democratic nominee, facing no opposition. Both Shogan and Younge had earlier lost the race for their respective nominations in the May primary.
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