Clearfield County voters will elect a new judge for the county’s Court of Common Pleas in the Nov. 4 general municipal election.
Fredric Ammerman, the county’s president judge, announced in January he would retire at the end of 2025, according to The Progress. He served 31 years on the bench. The county’s other judge, Paul Cherry, will become president judge next year.
Two candidates, Democrat Josh Maines and Republican Ryan P. Sayers, will compete for the open seat. The winner of the general election will preside over judicial matters for more than 77,000 residents in the central Pennsylvania county.
Candidates for county judge can raise money for their campaigns and collect endorsements. But unlike other elected officials, who often run on specific issues and persuade voters on their opinions, judge candidates cannot promise to rule in certain ways.
This guide may be updated as additional information about the candidates becomes available.
What does a Court of Common Pleas judge do?
Pennsylvania’s Courts of Common Pleas are grouped into 60 judicial districts. These are trial courts where criminal cases are often heard first. Courts of Common Pleas also handle many civil legal cases relating to family matters, child custody, domestic relations, and juvenile delinquency.
Common pleas courts are general trial courts that handle the vast majority of cases affecting Pennsylvanians’ daily lives. According to Pennsylvania’s Office of Victim Services, “they have control over all cases not assigned to another court” and can hear appeals on decisions made by magisterial district judges, municipal courts in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and certain local and state government agencies, like the Office of Open Records.
Courts of Common Pleas judges serve 10-year terms. They may serve an unlimited number of terms if they are retained by voters, according to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, but they must retire at age 75.
Josh Maines, Democrat
Josh Maines, a trial attorney and former assistant district attorney for Clearfield County, is the Democratic candidate for the open judge seat.
Maines won the Democratic primary in May with 2,026 votes, or about half of the total 4,222 cast for the race, according to the county election office.
Maines, who is running for public office for the first time, said a county judge should be fair and impartial above all, adding that those responsibilities are “more than just a character trait.”
“It is a willingness to do the hard work of grasping the facts of a case and taking the time to research and correctly apply the relevant law,” Maines told Spotlight PA.
Maines, who earned his degree from Widener University Commonwealth Law School, said his experience litigating criminal and civil matters in nearly half of the state’s common pleas courts prepared him to serve as a judge.
The biggest challenge facing Clearfield County’s court, Maines said, is “not having adequate resources, programs, or processes to effectively deal with the substance abuse and mental health components of cases, which flood the court system.” It’s one of his top priorities to alleviate the strain through creating treatment courts or similar programs, he said.
Maines was appointed by former Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, to serve on a statewide citizen advisory commission for law enforcement. He helped develop procedures for Clearfield County’s first Child Advocacy Center and later served on its advisory board. He also was a member of the county’s child death review team.
“It is notable that the person filling the judicial seat in this election will likely be presiding over the vast majority of matters affecting families and children,” Maines said.
Another change Maines said he would like to make as judge is to examine processes in the county court system and improve them. That could include updating courtrooms to be digitally accessible and expanding electronic services.
When asked, Maines said he can’t name one United States Supreme Court justice he most admires, though “there have been many that I highly respect.”
“I most admire justices who have the courage to bear their oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, regardless of their personal ideologies,” he said. “I admire justices who are willing to uncloak their political positions when they don the robe.”
Maines has received endorsements from Teamsters Local 205, which represents employees of the Clearfield Regional Police Department, Curwensville Police Department, and the Clearfield County Correctional Facility. Teamsters 205 endorsed both Sayers and Maines ahead of the primary election. The union branch’s secretary Carl Bailey told Spotlight PA that both candidates remained endorsed for the general election.
Other endorsements for Maines include Patrick Ford, a retired magisterial judge; Susan Ford, retired executive director of the Clearfield-Jefferson Drug and Alcohol Commission; and licensed social worker Autumn Bloom.
Maines has served as a music director and worship leader at Gethsemane United Methodist Church for about 14 years, he said. He is involved in local theater and has participated in a wide range of community events.
He is married with five adult children.
Maines filled out a questionnaire from Spotlight PA to help inform this guide. See his full answers here.
Ryan P. Sayers, Republican
Clearfield County District Attorney Ryan P. Sayers is the Republican candidate for Court of Common Pleas judge.
Sayers won the Republican primary in May with 3,644 votes of the total 9,347 cast, according to the county election office.
Sayers, who is serving his second term as district attorney, told Spotlight PA the people of Clearfield County deserve a judge “that is just, impartial, and experienced, and believes in the conservative principle of the rule of law as written and not interpreted.”
“I have handled investigations and prosecution of elected officials, community leaders, public servants, and other connected individuals, but that has not deterred or influenced my analysis of those cases,” Sayers said.
A graduate of Duquesne University’s law school, Sayers has handled both criminal and civil matters. Since becoming district attorney, he has worked exclusively on criminal prosecution and civil asset forfeitures, he said.
Sayers said the biggest challenge facing Clearfield County court is the management of its large caseload. Between 2014 and 2023, Clearfield County consistently dealt with a higher number of criminal cases on average compared to similarly sized counties in Pennsylvania, according to the state court system.
“It is imperative that the next judge have a strong work ethic and find ways to bring … efficiencies to the judicial system,” Sayers said.
Additionally, a top priority for Sayers is to create a drug court to help people break the cycle of addiction. The county commissioners and Sayers’s office have pledged part of the county’s opioid settlement funds to operate the program, he said.
When asked, Sayers said he has the most admiration for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. “He was a contributor and supporter of the efforts of the Federalist Society, which brought together lawyers, judges, and academics to debate, discuss, and advocate these conservative principles of textualism and originalism,” he said. “I am also a proud member of the Federalist Society because I believe in judicial restraint instead of judicial activism.”
Sayers was named in a federal civil lawsuit filed in August by a Philadelphia truck driver, Jovaughn Matthie. Clearfield County, Sandy Township, and officer Travis Goodman are also defendants. The lawsuit alleged Matthie’s arrest was a “malicious prosecution” and that “he was the victim of selective prosecution,” according to the Altoona Mirror. Sayers’ answer to the lawsuit, filed by his attorney, denied that he “did anything improper under the circumstances,” the newsroom reports.
Sayers has received endorsements from U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, a Republican who represents a large swath of north-central Pennsylvania; state Sen. Cris Dush (R., Jefferson); retired State Police Lt. Col. Wayne Kline; and Scott Brady, former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Teamsters 205 endorsed both Sayers and Maines ahead of the primary election. The union branch’s secretary Carl Bailey told Spotlight PA that both candidates remained endorsed for the general election.
Sayers has served on the boards of many community organizations, including the Bucktail Council, the Clearfield Arts Studio Theater, the Clearfield YMCA, the Clearfield County Bar Association, the Clearfield County Republican Committee, the Good Samaritan Center, the Greater Clearfield Chamber of Commerce, and Young People Who Care. He also cantors at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church.
He is engaged to be married.
Sayers filled out a questionnaire from Spotlight PA to help inform this guide. See his full answers here.