HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Republicans on Tuesday tapped Joan Orie Melvin to be their standard-bearer for an open seat on the state Supreme Court this fall, and both major parties settled nomination contests for the other two statewide appellate courts.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Melvin, a Superior Court judge from Pittsburgh who carried the Republican State Committee's endorsement, claimed 55 percent of the vote. Superior Court Judge Cheryl Allen had 27 percent, and Philadelphia Judge Paul Panepinto had 18 percent.

Melvin will square off against Democrat Jack Panella, a Superior Court judge from Northampton County who was unopposed in the primary, in the Nov. 3 general election.

Superior CourtIn a six-way Democratic battle for three nominations for Superior Court, the nominees were Allegheny County Judge Robert Colville, who claimed 20 percent of the vote; Allegheny County prosecutor Kevin McCarthy, with nearly 20 percent, and Philadelphia Judge Anne Lazarus, with 19 percent.Colville and Lazarus had been endorsed by the Democratic State Committee, while the other party-backed candidate, Philadelphia Judge John Milton Younge, finished last with 12 percent of the vote. Philadelphia Judge Paula Patrick had 15 percent, and Lackawanna County Judge Tom Munley received 13 percent.The GOP slate for Superior Court was set before the primary: Allegheny County Judge Judith Olson, Pittsburgh lawyer Templeton Smith Jr. and Tioga County lawyer Sallie Updyke Mundy were all unopposed.

Commonwealth CourtA pair of openings on Commonwealth Court brought out six Democratic contenders and three Republicans.Among the Democrats, Pittsburgh lawyer Barbara Jo Ernsberger — the only one of the 22 appellate-court candidates to receive a "not recommended" rating from a state bar review panel — was nominated with 22 percent of the vote. Pittsburgh lawyer Linda S. Judson was the other nominee, with 21 percent.Among the losers in that race were both party-endorsed candidates — Philadelphia Judge Jimmy Lynn, with 15 percent, and Pittsburgh lawyer Daniel Bricmont, with 13 percent.In the GOP race, Pittsburgh lawyer Patricia McCullough, the only candidate not endorsed by the GOP, was nominated with 38 percent of the vote, and Harrisburg lawyer Kevin Brobson was nominated with 34 percent. Alfonso Frioni Jr., a commissioner on the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Appeals Board from Pittsburgh, had 28 percent.State Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney vowed that the party would support the nominees — whether they were endorsed or not in the primary — in the general election campaign."The voters have spoken, and we will have a diverse ticket going into the fall with three women on the Democratic ticket as well (as) a geographical balance," Rooney said in a statement.In Luzerne County, where a pair of former judges recently were forced off the bench and pleaded guilty to taking kickbacks, 17 candidates to succeed them were battling cynicism among voters who are convinced that local politicians treat government as a spoils system for friends, relatives and supporters.