Philadelphia City Hall building. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

The midterm elections have been first and foremost on the minds of many Pennsylvanians over the past few weeks, but there is one more election of significance the Philadelphia legal community should pay attention to—the vote from a much smaller electorate to determine who will serve as the First Judicial District's president judge for the next five years.

The vote to is set to take place Wednesday afternoon, and, according to several sources, at least five judges have been vying for the position.

All of the judges in the FJD will be able to vote for who they think should fill the role, and every judge will have his or her name on the list of available candidates. The winner of the election will be whichever judge gets a plurality of the vote.

According to Philadelphia Judge Frederica Massiah-Jackson, who is organizing the election, voting is scheduled to take place between noon and 3 p.m.

“We're looking forward to a smooth process,” said Massiah-Jackson, who served as president judge from 2001 to 2006. “I gave a presentation to the Board of Judges and we're simply following the rules of administration. I'm also very pleased Judge Gary Glazer and Judge Ida Chen agreed to work with me to take attendance, and to count the votes with me.”

Along with the administrative judge position, the president judge is the top leadership spot for the FJD. According to the court, the main duties of the president judge include assigning new judges to divisions within the court, working with the state Supreme Court to have senior judges assigned to help manage the caseload, and implementing all locals rules adopted by the Board of Judges.

Currently the position is held by Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper, who took over the post from Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe in 2013.

Although potentially any judge, except the immediate past president, is able to win the leadership position, according to sources, five judges have announced their interest in the spot. Those five are Judges Paula Patrick, Ramy Djerassi, Idee Fox, George Overton and Barbara McDermott.

Judge Paula Patrick

Patrick has been on the bench for 15 years. On Tuesday, she confirmed her interest in the position, and said she plans to emphasize unity on the court if elected. She summed up her platform in six words: “One mind, one strength, one bench.”

“I want us to be united as judges, and looked at as judges with character and integrity,” she said. “With the current state of what's going on with our politics, we kind of get lost in that.”

Before joining the bench in 2003, Patrick worked as a solo practitioner for nearly 10 years, she said. During her time on the bench she served in family court and criminal court, where she spent two years heading the court that specifically deals with gun-related charges. She also worked in the major trial program in criminal court before moving on to civil court, where she presided over medical malpractice and mass tort trials. Currently, she serves in civil motions court.

“I have a deep diversified experience on the bench,” she said. “If any judge has any issue on any particular area, having sat there, I can understand the issues that face them.”

Judge Ramy Djerassi

Djerassi also confirmed Tuesday that he is running for the president judge position. According to Djerassi, if elected, his main goal would be to “advance the reach of our problem solving courts by using technology in new ways.”

“1.5 million Philadelphians depend on us to be accessible, fair, continuously educated and ethical,” he said in an emailed statement. “Times are tough and the challenges we face are accelerating so we must remain unified, vigilant and proactive.”

Djerassi worked as a prosecutor early in his career, before he spent 15 years as a private attorney focusing on criminal defense, custody matters and commercial litigation. Djerassi also took the bench in 2003, beginning in family court, before he began working in criminal court, where he did waivers and major trials. Beginning in 2013, Djerassi began handling complex litigation and mass torts.

Currently Djerassi oversees business disputes as one of the three judges assigned to the FJD's commerce program.

Judge Idee Fox 

Fox is the only candidate interested in the post who is already a part of the court's top leadership. She confirmed Tuesday that she is running for the post.

Fox, who has been serving as supervising judge in the civil trial division for the past two years, touted her experience on the bench.

“I have a strong commitment to education and wanting the public to be a part of what the courts do,” she said. ”I believe [the president judge post] is a responsibility, and a sacrifice, and yet I believe I owe it to the courts.”

Fox has been on the bench since 1995, and she worked as a solo practitioner for nearly 20 years before that. As a judge she started in family court, serving in the domestic relations division, where she spent five years as supervising judge. She was transferred to the civil trial division in 2008, and in February 2016 she was tapped to take over as the supervising judge of the civil trial division.

Judge Barbara McDermott

McDermott also confirmed Tuesday that she is running for the president judge position.

McDermott began her career at the state Attorney General's Office before becoming an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia and then working in private practice as a criminal defense attorney for 21 years.

McDermott was elected to the bench in 2011,  where she has been presiding over homicide cases. In 2016, McDermott was tapped to serve on a panel of judges to help the court handle the re-sentencings of juvenile lifers, and she is one of two judges tasked with presiding over several hundred resentencing hearings.

When asked about her interest in the leadership role, McDermott cited her record.

“My commitment to justice has been demonstrated by my career and my commitment to the courts and this city for over 30 years,” she said.

Judge George Overton

Overton is another judge said to be openly running for the position.

Overton worked in private practice for 15 years before winning a judgeship in 2001. In 2010 he was transferred from the criminal trial division to civil court, and he is currently one of three judges assigned to the orphans' court.

Overton did not return a call left with his chambers.