News & Brews October 29, 2025
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Ethics complaint filed against Supreme Court justices’ campaign activities
Broad + Liberty reports that the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association (PMA) has formally requested that the state’s Judicial Conduct Board investigate campaign activities by state Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht. Specifically, PMA raises ethics concerns as the justices are campaigning with Gov. Josh Shapiro, even though Shapiro has a pending high-profile case before them in his Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative appeal. PMA President and CEO David Taylor further explains, “The justices know that they are being compromised by allowing the governor to do this for them. And in the exact same way, I’m sure the governor understands that … what he’s doing is not proper, is not ethical, and that, to the appearance of the public, it looks as though he’s attempting to influence jurists who have a case before them that he himself has brought.”
On retention, vote “no,” “no,” and “no”
Commonwealth Partners Board Member Rob Ecklin writes in the LNP that the state Supreme Court “retention elections are essentially votes of confidence or no confidence. Have these justices consistently demonstrated during their first 10-year terms that Pennsylvanians can be confident in them to uphold the law with impartiality, fairness and — most importantly — the blindness that justice requires?” The answer is “no.” Separately, our president and CEO, Matt Brouillette, explains in the Pottstown Mercury how trial lawyers and union special interests gave millions to Democrat state Supreme Court justices’ campaigns in order to improve their own bottom lines. And it’s worked. “That’s why on November 4,” Matt writes, “I urge Pennsylvanians to vote no on retaining Justice Christine Donohue, no on retaining Justice Kevin Dougherty, and no on retaining Justice David Wecht.”
Shapiro sues Trump admin (again)
Gov. Josh Shapiro still hasn’t been able to get a state budget done. And in a recent national media appearance, he backed congressional Democrats’ strategy in refusing to reopen the federal government. Now, he’s trying to pretend he’s leading on something. He’s joined a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block the suspension of SNAP benefits. ABC27 reports, “All of the states party to the lawsuit … have either a Democratic governor or attorney general. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) joined the suit in his capacity as governor.”
Garrity announces $21M in Budget Bridge Loans
While Gov. Shapiro is suing the Trump administration, going on national television, and writing a book about himself, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity is actually doing something productive during the budget impasse. The progressive Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that yesterday, Garrity “said … her office has provided more than $21 million in loans to four dozen organizations to continue operating during the state budget impasse.” Garrity announced the $500 million Budget Bridge Loan Program last month “to support county governments and Head Start local agencies…. Earlier this month, [her office] expanded the program to support organizations that contract with county governments to provide services for rape survivors and pre-k children, as well as domestic violence prevention support.”
Podcast: McCormick: Pa. can lead AI revolution
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick joined the inaugural episode of the RealClear Pennsylvania podcast to talk about how Pennsylvania “can lead America through the AI revolution. He discusses the role of data centers and energy infrastructure, the impacts on employment and competition with China, his relationship with Senator John Fetterman, and his vision for the state in 2030.”