Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania

Voters will fill two seats in the November 2021 Election.

Judge J. Andrew Crompton

Rating: Recommended

Before being appointed to the Commonwealth Court, the candidate served as chief of staff and counsel for Sen. Joseph Scarnati. In 2019, he was nominated and subsequently confirmed to fill a two-year vacancy on the Commonwealth Court. The candidate has significant experience in statutory construction and interpretation due to his extensive legislative background. He has been involved in many community-oriented organizations. Additionally, he has decades of experience in administration of employees and has successfully structured and administered his current chambers. The candidate’s writings are thorough and well-structured. He presented himself to the commission as intelligent, well-spoken and sincere. Based on his current judicial experience and his previous role as senior counsel, combined with his work ethic and reputation among judicial colleagues, the commission recommends the candidate to serve on the Commonwealth Court.

Read the candidate’s questionnaire.

Judge Lori A. Dumas

Rating: Recommended

The candidate has been a judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas since 2002 where she has presided over family, criminal and civil division cases. Prior to becoming a judge, the candidate was a general practitioner who litigated various types of cases with the majority being criminal- and family law-related matters. The candidate was a contributing author of the 2018 Pennsylvania Juvenile Delinquency Benchbook and is currently co-authoring a digital resource in partnership with the American Medical Association. The candidate has been repeatedly recognized for her excellent work and service to the community, and she has received numerous awards, recognitions and distinctions from a wide array of community, governmental and legal organizations. The candidate is well respected among her peers, being described as possessing intellectual curiosity and as being prepared for her judicial duties. Attorneys who appeared before the candidate describe her as fair with good judicial temperament. For these reasons, the commission recommends her candidacy for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.

Read the candidate’s questionnaire.

Judge David L. Spurgeon

Rating: Highly Recommended

The candidate began his career at a law firm where his practice was primarily personal injury. In 2009, he joined the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. After eight years of prosecuting domestic violence cases, he was promoted to deputy district attorney where, in addition to his prosecutorial responsibilities, he was also responsible for supervising attorneys assigned to the domestic violence, mental health and municipal courts. While at the District Attorney’s Office, the candidate became a certified police instructor for the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Police Academies and was integral in developing the Veterans Court and Repeat Batterers accountability dockets. In 2016, he was appointed to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and was subsequently re-elected to the bench. He is assigned to the family division but also presides over certain orphans’ and civil division cases. The candidate has strong ties to his community and holds leadership roles in various nonprofit organizations, participates in a local program for teens in underserved communities, and is an adjunct professor at Duquesne University School of Law. The candidate exhibits the legal ability sufficient to have earned the respect of lawyers and members of the bench and, during his interview with the commission, he displayed confidence, integrity and excellent judicial temperament. For these reasons, the commission highly recommends his candidacy for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. 

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Stacy Sorokes Wallace

Rating: Not Recommended

The candidate was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 2004 and served as a judicial law clerk with the Court of Common Pleas for McKean County for three years and the Superior Court of Pennsylvania for three years. Since that time, the candidate has engaged in the private practice of law and as a trust officer for a bank and trust company in northwestern Pennsylvania. In her private practice, the candidate provides legal representation across various areas of the law, including municipal law, estate planning and trust administration. The candidate has appeared before the bench in several civil trials and she currently serves as the president of the McKean County Bar Association. The candidate serves her community in a variety of volunteer roles and is held in high regard. This background notwithstanding, the commission finds the candidate lacks the depth and breadth of experience and preparation necessary to take on the commanding role of judge on the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and, as a result, does not recommend her candidacy at this time.

Read the candidate’s questionnaire.


Judge Anne E. Covey 

Rating: Not Recommended for Retention (for failure to participate)


Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer 

Rating:  Recommended for Retention 

The candidate has served on the Commonwealth Court since 2002. She is energetic, articulate and well versed in all facets of her position on the Commonwealth Court. The candidate has drafted more than 2,500 opinions on a wide variety of legal issues. Her writings are consistently clear, well organized and scholarly. Her work ethic is excellent and she is attentive to deadlines. The candidate exhibits all the hallmarks of judicial integrity. For all of the above stated reasons, the commission recommends the candidate’s retention on the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. 

Read the candidate’s questionnaire