Pennsylvania

Pa. election 2025: What to know about the candidates for Superior Court

Published

2 months ago

October 23, 2025

Pa. election 2025: What to know about the candidates for Superior Court

What questions do you have about the 2025 elections? What major issues do you want candidates to address? Let us know.

In Pennsylvania’s 2025 general election, voters will determine who joins one of the commonwealth’s most powerful courts: the Superior Court, which handles thousands of criminal, civil and family appeals cases each year and is often the final word in justice for many residents across the commonwealth. The court’s decisions can shape everything from parental custody arrangements to criminal sentencing and consumer protections to business issues.

Three candidates — Democrat Judge Brandon Neuman, Republican Maria Battista and Daniel Wassmer of the Liberal Party — are vying for an open seat. Meanwhile, Democratic Judge Alice Beck DuBow is seeking a new 10-year term in a separate retention vote.

The Superior Court is one of two intermediate appellate courts in Pennsylvania, which review decisions from the state’s 67 county courts. The Superior Court has the final say on around 97% of its decisions which are not successfully appealed to the state Supreme Court.

“Do you want your communities to be safe? All criminal matters if appealed … go to the Superior Court. I ask people, ‘Do you care about your families, your children, your grandchildren?’ All matters related to families and children go to the Superior Court,” Maria Battista, the Republican nominee, told PCNTV last month. “Do you care about your property rights? Property issues go to the Superior Court.”

Here’s who is running:

Judge Brandon Neuman

Judge Brandon Neuman ran uncontested in the Democratic primary. He currently serves on the County Court of Common Pleas in Washington County, where he is a lifelong resident. He graduated from the University of Richmond and Duquesne University Kline School of Law, and practiced trial law before being elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2017, where he served four terms. He ran for lieutenant governor but lost in the primary.

He says his time as a lawmaker shaped how he views the role of the appellate bench.

“You learn about how the law is created and then, as a judge, you understand that we are not lawmakers,” he said in an interview with PCNTV. “You have to respect and appreciate how hard it is to make a law and then take a step back as a judge and say we have to follow the law and the constitution. That is our job.”

His legislative work included authoring the Debbie Smith Act, which was aimed at ending Pennsylvania’s backlog of untested rape kits.

In a notable 2024 ruling, Neuman ordered Washington County to notify voters if their mail ballots contained errors that could prevent them from being counted, a decision that was upheld by successive higher courts.

He said he sees the judiciary’s biggest challenge as “rebuilding public trust” in an era of widespread skepticism toward government institutions.

“Right now, the courts generally have the lowest approval rating that they’ve had probably in modern history,” he said. “You don’t come to court voluntarily. It’s not something that you enjoy. And so really just making sure … that this process is going to be fair, it’s going to be impartial. I’m going to listen to you and I’m going to follow the law.”

The Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Commission rated Neuman “Highly Recommended,” citing his judicial record and demeanor. He has received endorsements from several labor unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 13, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO. He is also endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police Pennsylvania State Lodge, Pennsylvania State Troopers Association and Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association.

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Pennsylvania

How Pennsylvania became a leader in Christmas tree farming, now growing 720,000 a year

Published

6 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

How Pennsylvania became a leader in Christmas tree farming, now growing 720,000 a year

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Pennsylvania

Bill would create alert when children with autism go missing in Pennsylvania

Published

18 hours ago

December 17, 2025

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Bill would create alert when children with autism go missing in Pennsylvania

(WHTM) — Legislation is in the works for a statewide warning system to locate missing children with autism.

State Rep. Robert Leadbeter (R-Columbia County) announced the formal introduction of a bill to create a “Purple Alert” system. It would quickly notify police and community members when a child with autism, or other cognitive issues, is missing.

His bill is called “Aiden’s Law,” named for a young boy in Columbia County, who disappeared earlier this year and drowned in the Susquehanna River. Leadbeter said a “Purple Alert” system would fill a gap in Pennsylvania.

“So, individuals with cognitive disabilities are able to then, if they go missing, have an alert go out to law enforcement organizations that work directly with them and that’ll save time expand resources, and ideally result in a safe return home for the missing individual,” Leadbeter said.

In this bill, the system would mirror others like Amber Alerts for missing children in danger and Silver Alerts for missing seniors.

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Pennsylvania

Bethlehem man sentenced under Pennsylvania’s new AI child porn law

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

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Bethlehem man sentenced under Pennsylvania’s new AI child porn law

A Bethlehem man is among the first to be sentenced under a Pennsylvania law passed last year, making it a crime to possess AI-generated child sex abuse material.

On Monday, Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas Judge Kristie M. Marks sentenced 35-year-old Adam Erdman to two years, four months to 10 years.

Erdman in September pleaded guilty to felony possessing child sex abuse material. He faced a possible sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced the sentencing in a news conference Monday afternoon. The DA credited U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who introduced the new legislation and state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, who championed the final version of the law last year.

“Before this law was passed, the use of AI to generate child sexual abuse materials went unpunished,” Holihan said. “Prosecutors like me need legislation like this to arrest and convict the criminals who use evolving technology to victimize others.”

Macungie-based attorney Michael Ira Stump, representing Erdman, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Tuesday morning.

Bethlehem police on March 31 were called by Erdman’s estranged wife, who reported finding three AI-generated nude images of juvenile girls on his personal computer.

Prosecutors said Erdman downloaded photos of the children on vacation from their parent’s social media account, and then used artificial intelligence photo-editing software to make the children appear naked.

Erdman was charged on April 17.

The case was investigated by Bethlehem Police Det. Stephen Ewald and was prosecuted by Lehigh County Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach.

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