Deborah A. Kunselman
2018 - Present
2028
7
Deborah A. Kunselman (Democratic Party) (also known as Debbie) is a judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. She assumed office on January 1, 2018. Her current term ends on January 3, 2028.
Kunselman (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She lost in the Democratic primary on May 16, 2023.
Kunselman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Deborah A. Kunselman was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. Kunselman's career experience includes working as an attorney with McMillan Urick Tocci Fouse & Jones and a solicitor with Beaver County. She earned a B.A. in international politics from Pennsylvania State University in 1989 and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 1992. [1][2]
Elections
2023
See also: Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2023
General election
General election for Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Daniel D. McCaffery defeated Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio in the general election for Pennsylvania Supreme Court on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Daniel D. McCaffery (D) | 53.5 | 1,652,113 | |
| Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio (R) | 46.5 | 1,434,945 | ||
| Total votes: 3,087,058 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Daniel D. McCaffery defeated Deborah A. Kunselman in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Supreme Court on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Daniel D. McCaffery | 60.2 | 633,845 | |
| Deborah A. Kunselman | 39.8 | 419,090 | ||
| Total votes: 1,052,935 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio defeated Patricia McCullough in the Republican primary for Pennsylvania Supreme Court on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio | 53.6 | 441,413 | |
| Patricia McCullough | 46.4 | 382,512 | ||
| Total votes: 823,925 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2017
Elections were held for four seats on the Pennsylvania Superior Court on November 7, 2017. The following candidates ran in the general election for Pennsylvania Superior Court.
| General Election for Pennsylvania Superior Court, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Maria McLaughlin |
14.09% | 1,078,522 | |
| Democratic | Deborah A. Kunselman |
13.61% | 1,041,965 | |
| Democratic | Carolyn H. Nichols |
12.79% | 978,842 | |
| Republican | Mary P. Murray |
12.00% | 918,705 | |
| Republican | Craig Stedman | 11.95% | 914,284 | |
| Democratic | H. Geoffrey Moulton Jr. Incumbent | 11.66% | 892,646 | |
| Republican | Emil A. Giordano | 11.58% | 885,996 | |
| Republican | Wade Kagarise | 10.92% | 835,647 | |
| Green | Jules Mermelstein | 1.40% | 106,969 | |
| Total Votes | 7,653,576 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Municipal Election Unofficial Returns," accessed December 21, 2017 | ||||
Maria McLaughlin, Carolyn H. Nichols, Deborah A. Kunselman, and incumbent H. Geoffrey Moulton Jr. defeated William Caye II in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court.[3]
| Democratic Primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Maria McLaughlin |
23.30% | 460,250 |
| Carolyn H. Nichols |
22.72% | 448,675 |
| Deborah A. Kunselman |
21.92% | 432,937 |
| H. Geoffrey Moulton Jr. Incumbent |
18.31% | 361,547 |
| William Caye II | 13.75% | 271,533 |
| Total Votes (100% reported) | 1,974,942 | |
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official Returns," accessed December 21, 2017 | ||
Bar association rating
Kunselman received a rating of "highly recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association.[4]
2015
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2015
Kunselman was retained to Beaver County Court of Common Pleas with 66.83 percent of the vote on November 3, 2015.[5]
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Deborah A. Kunselman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kunselman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I am an honors graduate of both Penn State University (1989) and the University of Notre Dame Law School (1992). As a lawyer for 13 years, my practice focused on personal injury, family law, employment discrimination and municipal law. I also served part-time for almost 8 years as the Chief County Solicitor in Beaver County. I handled all legal issues in the construction of our county jail, courthouse addition and parking garage, and the takeover of the Community College. In 2005, I was the first woman ever elected to the Court of Common Pleas in Beaver County. I won a retention election in 2015. For 12 years, I presided over hundreds of jury and non-jury trial cases in civil, criminal, family and juvenile court. Doing that time, I served for 6 years on the statewide judicial education committee, where I planned and presented numerous courses for judges and lawyers. In 2017, I was elected to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. There, I have ruled on over 3,000 appeals, including several high-profile cases. I have already decided nearly every type of case that will come before the Supreme Court. I have been "highly recommended" by the Pennsylvania Bar Association for the office of Supreme Court Justice. In addition to being a judge, I am a mother of three adult children, and I have been married for almost 29 years.
- I have the most judicial experience of any candidate running for this office, I am the only candidate with significant exerience at both the trial court and the appellate court.
- I am passionate about the law and writing clear legal opinions that everyone can understand. You should not need a law degree to understand the judge's decision in your case.
- I believe in equal access to justice and transparency in our court system. The courts should be accessible to everyone regardless of income, race, gender, national origin, age, religion or sexual orientation.
I am passionate about education and making the court system more efficient. Judges do not write the laws and do not get to choose which ares of law they want to interpret or set precedent Instead, judges resolve legal disputes after a case is filed in the court system. Appellate judges correct errors that occurred at the trial court to ensure the parties had a fair trial, and that the trial court appropriately applied to law to the facts of their case. The Supreme Court has discretion to choose the cases it decides. Obviously, these are cases where the question presented is one of first impression or is of such substantial public importance as to require prompt and definitive resolution by this court. This may include cases involving the constitutionality of a statute of the Commonwealth. My judicial decisions show that I have the knowledge and the courage to make these important decisions. The Supreme Court is also responsible for overseeing the entire judicial branch of government, including all of our lower courts, attorney and judicial discipline, the rules of court, and our probation offices and domestic relations offices (which calculate, collect and distribute child support payments). I bring government and leadership experience to serve in this important administrative role.
Integrity, Fairness, Courage to do the right thing even if it isn't popular.
To decide each case fairly according to the law of Pennsylvania and to uphold the constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
When I was first elected
I was in grade school when Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed as the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. I was in high school when Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman to run for Vice President of the United States. I remember thinking that if those women could serve at the highest levels of government, then I could too.
When I graduated from law school, I was accepted into the Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG) Program. Before I could begin my commission, I had to pass any state bar exam and a military physical. I passed the bar, but I failed the physical because I had knee surgery in high school after a basketball injury. I applied for a waiver, but my request was denied. At that point, I was not sure what to do; I knew no lawyers, had no other job prospects, and had significant student loans to pay. So, I went to a temporary agency to start working as a legal secretary. Eventually, I landed a job as an attorney. I want voters to know this life experience shows that no job is beneath me and that I am willing to work hard to be successful. I know first-hand the struggles many Pennsylvanians face to pay their bills and provide for their families. On my journey from legal secretary to candidate for Supreme Court Justice, I have seen the legal system from many different perspectives, and I will bring that knowledge and wisdom to the office if elected.
he Supreme Court is responsible for the administration of the entire judicial branch of government, including all of our lower courts, attorney and judicial discipline, the rules of court, and our probation offices and domestic relations offices (which calculate, collect and distribute child support payments). The court also has oversees the specialty courts and diversion programs including veterans court, drug court and mental health court, The court oversees the Juvenile Court Judges Commission which advises on juvenile delinquency and placement, and the Office of Children and Families in the Courts, which advises on juvenile dependency and the foster care system.
Under our system of checks and balances, I believe judges need to defer to the legislature and apply the law as written. I apply the laws fairly and evenly, without fear or favor, and I am not result-oriented. However, as a judge, I do not defer to the legislature on matter of constitutionality. The oath I took to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires me to uphold the pillars of democracy and protect the individual rights guaranteed by these documents. It is the role of the courts to protect against legislative overreach.
I admire former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg because she was a champion for rights of individuals and stood up for what she believed in.
Yes. I believe that judges should treat all people with respect. In our adversarial system of justice, one side will win a case and one side will lose. (In family law cases, often both sides think they lost because they did not get all of the marital assets, custody time or child support that they wanted.). However, everyone should leave the courtroom feeling like the judge listened to them and understood their position on the issues, even it the judge ultimately disagreed with them. A judge needs to understand the importance of the litigation for the parties who appear in court. and empathize with what they are experiencing in the court system.
Yes, The Pennsylvania Bar Association rated me "Highly Recommended" for Supreme Court in 2023, and for Superior Court in 2017,
Under our system of checks and balances, the Supreme Court must defer to the legislature and apply the law as written unless that law is ambiguous or unconstitutional. If a law is ambiguous, the court must apply the rules of statutory interpretation to decide the case The Supreme Court has the final say on whether a law is unconstitutional, but the court can only rely on the arguments made by the parties in the case, and on issues that were properly preserved in the trial court. The court cannot act as both judge and lawyer.
Yes, This is a very intensive process that looks at the judges demeanor, temperament and legal acumen.
Vote ProChoice
Steel City Stonewall Democrats
14th Ward Independent Democratic Club (Pittsburgh)
Working Families Party
Lehigh Valley for All
Progressive Woman of Northeast Pennsylvania
Women the Future
PSEA (recommended candidacy)
Dauphin County and Beaver County Democratic Committees
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Pennsylvania Supreme Court |
Officeholder Pennsylvania Superior Court |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, "Judge Deborah A. Kunselman," accessed April 4, 2023
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 23, 2023
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Municipal Election Information," accessed December 21, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Bar Association, "Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Commission Releases 2017 Ratings for Potential Judicial Candidates," January 30, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial General Election Returns," November 3, 2015
| ||||||||||
 |
State of Pennsylvania Harrisburg (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |