Republican Joan Orie Melvin won a hotly-contested seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Tuesday, giving Republicans a 4-3 majority on the court.

Melvin defeated Democrat Jack Panella in the most expensive judicial race in Pennsylvania's history. Panella raised more than $2.5 million, largely from trial lawyers and organized labor, according to The Associated Press.

With 98 percent of the state's precincts reporting, Melvin had 910,270 votes or 53 percent to Democrat Jack Panella's 806,157 votes or 47 percent, the wire service reported.

Panella was widely criticized for running a negative campaign, resorting to personal attacks on Melvin.

Melvin's victory, which restores a one-seat majority that the GOP lost in 2007, continued a good night for Republicans, who have won the governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey.

Four Republican candidates for four open Pennsylvania Superior Court seats and two Republican candidates for two open Commonwealth Court seats were also leading their respective races at midnight, although final results were not in yet.

The Republican comeback is here!

Another major Pennsylvania newspaper is backing Joan Orie Melvin for Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Tuesday's General Election.

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

What we do care about is legal acumen, temperament and moxie. And on all three counts, Judge Orie Melvin of Marshall, a Republican and a state Superior Court judge since 1997, is the best choice for the state's highest court.

Read the full endorsement at the link below:

For Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Elect Joan Orie Melvin - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

P.S. -- Joan Orie Melvin has already been endorsed by The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Harrisburg Patriot-News.

The biggest race on the Nov. 3 ballot is to fill a vacancy on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which is now split 3-3 among Democrats and Republicans.

The candidates are reform candidate Jane Orie Melvin, a Republican, and Jack Panella, the Democratic Party machine candidate, who is running attack ads against Orie Melvin instead of giving voters a reason to support him.

Three of the state's leading newspapers (and among the most liberal newspapers at that) are urging voters to support Orie Melvin.

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason congratulated Supreme Court candidate Judge Joan Orie Melvin on receiving the endorsement of The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Patriot News on Sunday.

From a Republican Party of Pennsylvania press release:

"Judge Joan Orie Melvin is an incredibly impressive candidate and I am pleased to read that The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Patriot News all agreed," Gleason said. "In their endorsement, The Philadelphia Inquirer noted Judge Joan Orie Melvin's 'outsider's viewpoint' and credited her call to create an independently appointed agency to monitor corrupt judges. Clearly, with the story of the Luzerne County judicial scandal still dominating headlines, Pennsylvania voters are looking to elect a Supreme Court justice that will seek to root out corruption, not stand idly by while it takes place."

"The Philadelphia Inquirer's endorsement also criticizes Democrat candidate Jack Panella for his 'special interest campaign war chest' which has come through sizable donations from trial lawyers and big labor groups. We agree that the donations he has received raise serious questions about whether or not Jack Panella, if elected, will be beholden to these special interest groups who have donated so generously to his campaign."

"Judge Joan Orie Melvin's strong work ethic, distinguished record and judicial temperament make her the only choice for Supreme Court on November 3rd, and I am overjoyed that so many Pennsylvanians, including three of our state’s largest newspapers from the western, eastern and central Pennsylvania, are voicing their support for her campaign."

The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsement of Judge Joan Orie Melvin for Supreme Court reads:

Of the two appellate judges vying for Supreme Court, Joan Orie Melvin of Pittsburgh edges out Jack A. Panella, her Easton colleague on the state Superior Court. Melvin, 53, earned the state bar's highest rating and was cited for being "genial and fair- minded" with a "solid record of performance" on the bench over a 24-year period. ("Editorial: Best judicial choices," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/25/09)

Click here to read the text of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s full endorsement.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsement of Judge Joan Orie Melvin for Supreme Court reads:

The other consideration is one dear to our core principles. If Judge Panella wins this race, the court will be down to six men and one woman (Justice Debra McCloskey Todd). The other female justice, Jane Cutler Greenspan, agreed not to seek a full 10-year term after Chief Justice Ralph Cappy retired last year.

Advantage, Judge Melvin, who would strike a small but important blow for gender balance by keeping the number of female justices at two.

The Post-Gazette endorses Judge Joan Orie Melvin for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. ("Supreme Court: In a duel of two top jurists, it's Judge Melvin," The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Click here to read the text of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s full endorsement.

The Patriot News endorsement of Judge Joan Orie Melvin for Supreme Court reads:

But on Nov. 3, voters can choose only one, and after meeting with the candidates and reviewing their records, our choice is Judge Joan Orie Melvin.

She has experience at all levels of the judiciary, having served as a judge in the municipal courts in Pittsburgh, Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County and has been on the Superior Court since 1997. ("Pennsylvania Supreme Court judge: Our choice is Orie Melvin," The Patriot News, 10/25/09)

Click here to read the text of The Patriot News' full endorsement.

For more information about Orie Melvin, visit her campaign Web site, www.judgeoriemelvin.com

The state's leading conservative newspaper, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, weighs in on judicial races on Tuesday's Primary Election ballot.

The newspaper is endorsing Joan Orie Melvin for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

From the editorial:

We've long admired her dedication to the law and her moxie. To wit, she filed a lawsuit seeking to refuse the scandalous 2005 pay raise. She lost. But she continues to return the untaxed portion of the raise to commonwealth coffers. Now that's fealty to principle.

The newspaper also recommends two of the six Democrats seeking three nominations for Pennsylvania Superior Court (the three Republicans are unopposed) and two Republicans for Commonwealth Court.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.