About the Superior Court
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania has been described as the busiest appellate court in the nation. It decides approximately 8,000 appeals annually. The Court consists of 15 constitutionally elected judges, plus seven senior judges appointed by the Supreme Court. Panels of three judges randomly selected by the Court's President Judge hear appeals.
The appeals primarily come from the various county Courts of Common Pleas. Because Pennsylvania's high court, the Supreme Court typically hears less than 100 appeals per year, the Superior Court is the court of last resort for the vast majority of litigants. The matters that come before the Court include serious criminal cases such as those involving rape or murder, family issues like divorce, custody and support, civil litigation involving personal injury or contracts, as well as issues involving real estate, wills and trusts and DUI arrests.
Superior Court judges are elected for a term of ten years. After ten years, the judge may continue to serve by submitting to a voter's referendum called a retention election. In a retention election, voters decide whether to keep the judge in office or not. Superior Court judges, like all other Pennsylvania jurists, must retire at age 70.
