Candidates for Superior Court
About Ann Marie Wheatcraft
Judge Ann Marie Wheatcraft has dedicated her career to making Chester County a safer and better place to live, work, and raise a family. For the last 13 years, she has served as a Judge on the Chester County Court of Common Pleas and currently serves as its President Judge. During her time on the bench, she has consistently handed out some of the toughest punishments for violent criminals.
In addition to earning a reputation as a tough judge, Ann Marie is also recognized for
her compassion for victims and fairness in the courtroom. She has presided over
Chester County’s treatment courts including the Drug, Recovery, Mental Health, and
Veterans Courts.
Prior to being elected Judge, Ann Marie served as an Assistant District Attorney
prosecuting some of Chester County’s most violent crimes including armed robbery,
rape, and first-degree murder.
In addition to her Criminal Law experience, Ann Marie has handled Civil, Family and
Dependency Court dockets as a Judge. She frequently is asked to give presentations
by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) New Judges’ School, the
State Trial Court Judge Conference, colleges and law schools and Bar Associations and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) events. Ann Marie is the past President of the
Pennsylvania Association of Trial Court Professionals (2022-2024) and is a current
Executive Board member.
Ann Marie is the proud mom of two children. Her son is a police officer in Chester
County and her daughter is in medical school. She enjoys scuba diving and
volunteering with Canine Partners for Life fostering and training service dogs, including courthouse therapy dogs.
Candidate for Superior Court
ABOUT MARIA BATTISTA
“The opinions issued by our appellate courts have far-reaching impact on each of our lives. My years of experience in civil, criminal, and administrative law make me uniquely qualified to serve on the Superior Court, and I humbly ask for your vote on Tuesday, May 20th.”
Maria Battista has more than 15 years of legal experience in civil, criminal, and administrative law and is a former Assistant District Attorney. She is also a skilled mediator and public speaker.
As a Commonwealth attorney, Battista was counsel in the Departments of Health and State. For three years, Battista was a hearing examiner where she presided over hundreds of cases, including for the Department of Corrections.
Those who know her best have found her to have a strong legal mind, while still showing compassion. Battista has been a presenter for continuing legal education courses in mediation, oral arguments before appellate courts, and health care matters.
She plans to use her diverse legal and educational background to establish an office that is efficient, accountable, and transparent.
Candidate for Commonwealth Court
About Matt Wolford
Matt Wolford was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he currently resides. He was taught the value of hard work at an early age, and he has been working non-stop since his first job at a local hardware store in his teens. He has demonstrated leadership skills since his youth. As a high school wrestler, he became co-captain of the team in his senior year. During college he worked as a lifeguard at Presque Isle State Park and was promoted to one of the supervisors of a crew of more than 70. He was a University Student Government Senator in college and has held leadership positions in state government and with the Pennsylvania Bar Association since becoming an attorney. With over three decades of experience practicing law, he is a proven legal expert with a deep understanding of government inner-workings and the law. Throughout his career, he has litigated cases in State and Federal courts, as well as government agency tribunals. He is running for judge of the Commonwealth Court to put his qualifications, years of experience, and demonstrated leadership skills to work for all Pennsylvanians.
Matt is a small business owner who practices law as a solo practitioner in Erie, PA, where he represents a wide range of clients, including individuals, businesses, and organizations, such as oil and gas companies and trade associations, manufacturers, farmers, landowners, and others. Part of his practice focuses on environmental law, specifically defending clients against government enforcement actions and helping clients work through complex regulatory challenges. Another aspect of his practice focuses on fighting for private property rights, such as zoning disputes, easement disputes, and homeowners’ association matters. Before going into private practice, he served as an Assistant Counsel and Regional Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”). Prior to joining the DEP, he was a Deputy Attorney General and the attorney-in-charge of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General (“OAG”), Environmental Crimes Section regional field office in Meadville, PA; and he also served as a special prosecutor for both the OAG and the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Before becoming a prosecutor, he served as a civil litigation attorney for the OAG’s Torts Litigation Section in Philadelphia, PA.
Matt lectures regularly for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (now part of the Pennsylvania Bar Association) and has lectured for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Enforcement Training Institute, the DEP, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania’s Minor Judiciary, the Erie County Bar Association, and various other county bar associations and organizations. He also authored a chapter in the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s The Law of Oil & Gas in Pennsylvania focusing on oil and gas development on public lands and was an Adjunct Professor at Gannon University in Erie, PA, for over 20 years.
Matt is a longtime member of the Presque Isle State Park Complex Advisory Committee and the Presque Isle Partnership. He received his undergraduate degree from Penn State and his Juris Doctorate degree from the Temple University School of Law and is a member of the Erie County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. He and his wife, Marian, are the proud parents of four children.
Candidate for Commonwealth Court
Who is Josh Prince?
In One Sentence
An unparalleled career of holding the Government accountable to the law as written and the Constitution as intended by our Founding Fathers.
A fair and impartial judiciary requires not only a deep understanding of the law but also a commitment to applying it as written to uphold justice for all. Compassion for people is at the heart of this approach—treating each person with dignity and recognizing that the law, when applied equally and with integrity, provides a framework for fairness. Even when a ruling does not go in someone’s favor, justice cannot be merely punitive; it should also offer a path to restoration.
Restorative justice provides individuals, businesses, and governmental entities with opportunities to regain good standing in society. This can include making restitution, engaging in mediation, participating in community service, adopting corrective policies, or implementing reforms that promote accountability and positive change. By prioritizing constructive, collaborative solutions, restorative justice strengthens communities, builds trust, and ensures that justice not only enforces accountability but also facilitates healing and reintegration within society.