It's called the hardest-working court in Pennsylvania because it dispatches 8,000 cases a year. In this state, the Superior Court is the final arbiter of most appeals from the Common Pleas level. Its 15 judges handle a broad range of disputes, from family matters to criminal cases to civil contracts.

Democratic and Republican voters will have a chance in the May 19 primary to nominate three candidates for election to the court this fall.

The Republican Party showed its usual discipline and put up three contenders for its three nominations: Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Judy Olson of Franklin Park, attorney Temp Smith of Mt. Lebanon and Sallie Mundy, a litigator from Tioga County.

On the other side of the ballot, however, six Democrats are making it a real contest: Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Robert J. Colville; Kevin Francis McCarthy, an assistant district attorney in Allegheny County; Lackawanna County Judge Tom Munley; and Philadelphia Common Pleas Judges Anne E. Lazarus, Paula Patrick and John Younge.

The best of the lot is the trio of Colville, Lazarus and Younge. Judge Lazarus is the only Democrat who comes highly recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Judges Colville and Younge are both recommended. Judge Lazarus and Judge Younge also are endorsed by the state Democratic committee.

• Judge Lazarus, 56, has served on the Philadelphia bench for 18 years. After stints in the criminal and civil divisions, she is now assigned to Orphans Court, where she deals with guardianships, trust cases and failing nonprofits. She was the first female judge in the county to handle the court's "rocket docket" to cut the backlog of cases, valuable experience for Superior Court.

Judge Lazarus puts a premium on doing community service and has made a priority of encouraging pro bono work among the lawyers who practice before her. She chaired the judiciary's pro bono committee and was honored for her efforts by the state bar. Two years ago, the judge sought this same nomination but was unsuccessful. This time Democrats should not overlook Anne E. Lazarus.

• Judge Colville, 43, is the son of the former, longtime district attorney, Robert E. Colville, who is a senior judge on the Superior Court. The younger Colville was elected to Common Pleas Court in 1999 and has had a variety of assignments. His experience was earned in the juvenile section of family division, where the judge handled delinquency and dependency cases; in the adult section of family division, where he dealt with matters like custody and support; and now in the civil division, where the judge, while carrying a normal caseload, has helped to clean up a 4,000-case backlog of asbestos claims.

Outside the courtroom, Judge Colville is also active in judiciary matters. He served for eight years on the state Supreme Court's Juvenile Court Procedural Rules Committee. This summer he will become president of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. Whether it's showing leadership to his peers or efficiency in his courtroom, Robert J. Colville deserves his party's nomination.

• Judge Younge, 53, takes pride in being a career public servant. First as a community lawyer in Philadelphia, then counsel to the city's redevelopment authority, Mr. Younge was elected to Common Pleas Court in 1995. He has spent his judicial career in the trial division, handling both civil and criminal cases -- experience that would serve him well, if elected to the state's busiest court.

A past president of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, Judge Younge is concerned about the credibility of the judiciary and ensuring the access of average citizens to the courts. Like his colleague, Judge Lazarus, he fell short in a 2007 campaign for Superior Court. Democrats need to nominate candidates of integrity, like John Younge.