Voters in Pennsylvania will decide in November whether three Democratic state Supreme Court justices should keep their seats   

If you've watched any TV, you've probably seen the ads for the retention of the three justices. They already won partisan elections to get on the bench, and soon it will be time for voters to decide if they get another 10 years on the bench or not.

If any of the three Democrats are voted out, the governor gets to appoint someone to fill the role until a new one is elected in 2027 or the seats could sit vacant until 2027. If that happens, it would be an even 2-2 split between Democrats and Republicans on the state's highest court. Appointees need a two-thirds vote in the state Senate.

"Although it is tradition in Pennsylvania that if you are appointed to a vacancy, you serve out that term and don't run again. A lot of the time, state senators will ask candidates that and get that pledge," said Chris Bonneau, a University of Pittsburgh political science professor.

Bonneau said elections like this are hard for incumbents because they are running against no one.

"We can all think of somebody we think will be better as opposed to an actual candidate, where I might not like this person, but I definitely don't like that one," Dr. Bonneau said.

History is on the incumbent's side. He said only once has a judge lost retention, and it was in 2005. Republicans are hoping to make these seats open to political races in 2027.

According to the Allegheny County Bar Association, these races are about their work as a judge and not the political fanfare you see in other races.   

"Their judicial demeanor, their fairness, their professionalism, how you expect to be treated when you come into a courtroom," Allegheny County Bar Association President Amy Coco said.

While Pennsylvania may be new to seeing this emphasis on a judicial race, it's not new in other states. Bonneau said this could be the beginning of the norm of more ad blitzes for races.