Pa Catholic Conf: "Informing Your Conscience in 'Off-Year' Elections"

For November 5th's supposedly "off year" elections, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference is rightly calling our attention to other sources of voter guidance, such as the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and the Pennsylvania Family Institute.  As per yesterday's post on the Catholic Conference's web site:

"Judges make decisions that affect everyone, including who has a right to life, what is marriage, when should religion be protected, who can adopt children, and many other important questions....

"candidates for judicial office often do not share their personal positions on controversial issues....

"We can understand a lot about candidates by reviewing their lists of endorsements....An endorsement from the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation or Planned Parenthood gives us a clue about whether a candidate is pro-life or pro-abortion....It is said a person is known 'by the company that he or she keeps' [EMPHASIS ADDED.]....

"The Pennsylvania Family Institute publishes a voter guide that touches on many issues that are also important to Catholics [EMPHASIS ADDED.]....

"Pennsylvania Supreme Court – Vote for retention yes or no

• Justice Max Baer (Democrat) – www.pacourts.us/courts/supreme-court/supreme-court-justices/justice-max-baer
• Chief Justice Ronald Castille (Republican) – www.pacourts.us/courts/supreme-court/supreme-court-justices/chief-justice-ronald-d-castille
 
"Pennsylvania Superior Court – Vote for retention yes or no

• Judge Jack Panella (Democrat) – www.pacourts.us/courts/superior-court/superior-court-judges/judge-jack-a-panella or www.facebook.com/jackpanellacampaign
• Judge Susan Peikes Gantman (Republican) – www.pacourts.us/courts/superior-court/superior-court-judges/judge-susan-peikes-gantman
 
"Pennsylvania Superior Court – Vote for one

• Judge Jack McVay, Jr. (Democrat) – www.judgejackmcvay.com/
• Vic Stabile (Republican) – www.vicstabile.com/ "
(Informing Your Conscience in “Off-Year” Elections, 10/15/13)

Of the above, it appears that only Max Baer, Jack Panella, and Vic Stabile provided ANY responses to questions for the Pennsylvania Family Institute's Judicial Voters' Guide 2013: 

• Max Baer suggests that we "'google' Judge or Justice Max Baer", but this can be found:  "In 2003...Judge Max Baer openly campaigned as a pro-choice Democrat, and won election to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court" (http://www.gavelgrab.org/?p=20762#sthash.GPEwcFZb.dpuf).

• Jack Panella's own answers may not be informative.  In 2009, he was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood PA PAC.

• As per Vic Stabile's own answers, he most identifies with the political philsophy of Ronald Reagan, given a choice of several presidents.  Of current supreme court justices, he most identifies with the judicial philosophy of Scalia and Aliton, as well with a “strict construction” or “originalist” approach.  He believes that Roe v. Wade was incorrectly decided.  He believes that the Pa Constitution permits display of the Ten Commandments in courtrooms, as well as student-led prayer at public school graduations.  However, he did NOT answer as to whether he believes the Pa Constitution recognizes a right to so-called same sex marriage, maintaining that the "Issue will be decided at the federal level" (Our congressman should take particular note of this, as he would argue the opposite.  The end result is that NEITHER Stabile NOR Fitzpatrick is taking a stand for marriage.).