State Superior Court Judge Jack Panella will apparently run unopposed for the Democratic nomination for state Supreme Court this spring.

Panella's expected opponent, Philadelphia Judge Teresa Sarmina, said Monday she has decided to put party unity ahead of her own ambitions and withdrew from the race.

''I just re-evaluated where I was,'' she said. ''And for the betterment of the party, I decided to withdraw for another day.''

Panella, of Palmer Township, netted the state Democratic Party's official endorsement at a meeting in suburban Harrisburg in January. At that meeting Sarmina announced she planned to run without the party's endorsement and mount a primary challenge.