Contact:
Geoffrey Nolan, Voters for Earthjustice Action Pennsylvania IEC
gnolan@earthjustice.org
Anthony Campisi Anthony@WalnutLaneStrategies.com
Environmental Organizations Highlight Six-Figure Spend Urging Environmental Voters to Vote ‘Yes’ in Pennsylvania Supreme Court Retention Election
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA–As election season comes to a close, Voters for Earthjustice Action Pennsylvania IEC and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Victory Fund are highlighting their six-figure spend urging voters in the commonwealth to vote ‘Yes’ in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention race. After ten years serving on the bench, justices must stand for retention elections to receive another term. The current balance of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court depends on retaining Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht.
“As the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority weakens environmental laws, state supreme courts are now our last line of defense for protecting clean air, safe drinking water, and public health,” said Yaheiry Mora, Political Director of Voters for Earthjustice Action Pennsylvania IEC. “With billionaires and polluting industries trying to sway these elections and tip the courts in their favor, those of us who care about our courts and the environment are fighting back. We’re thrilled to join Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Victory Fund in elevating the environmental stakes of this race and empowering Pennsylvanians to vote.”
“All Pennsylvanians are guaranteed a constitutional right to clean air and pure water by our state Environmental Rights Amendment, and preserving our state Supreme Court’s pro-environment majority from right-wing attacks is critical to protecting these rights,” said Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Victory Fund Executive Director Molly Parzen. “The court’s work is even more important in the face of an out-of-control Trump administration and a right-wing U.S. Supreme Court that is more focused on enriching billionaire polluters than protecting the health and safety of Pennsylvania families. We’re excited to partner with Voters for Earthjustice Action Pennsylvania IEC to make sure that voters get the facts about the retention process and learn how critical our state Supreme Court is to their lives.”
The groups are spending over $300,000 to contact over 304,000 voters approximately 1.2 million times before Election Day. This program created a surround-sound effect with voters in our audience through a combination of direct mail, digital ads, phone banking, texting, and site-based canvassing to ensure environmental voters are aware of the stakes for the courts, complete their ballots, and vote ‘Yes’ to retain the justices.
If the justices fail to win retention, Pennsylvania will have contested, partisan judicial elections in 2027. Until that time, the court will have three vacancies and an ideological 2-2 split with major implications for the environment, civil rights, worker protections, and voting rights.
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