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Local trial court judicial elections, 2026

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2026
Trial court elections
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Ballotpedia provides coverage of local trial court elections for judges whose jurisdictions overlap withAmerica's 100 largest cities by population.

Atrial court is a court of original jurisdiction where most civil or criminal cases commence. In the trial court, evidence and testimony are first introduced, received, and considered. Trial courts can be of both general jurisdiction and limited jurisdiction. A trial court of general jurisdiction may hear any civil or criminal case that is not already exclusively within the jurisdiction of another court. A trial court of limited jurisdiction may only hear specific cases based on certain criteria, such as subject matter, the amount in controversy, statutory grant, or administrative matters.

Of the states up for election in 2026,10 states are holdingnonpartisan elections,seven states are holdingpartisan elections,five states are holdingretention elections, andtwo states are holding both partisan and retention elections.

Use the dropdown menus in the tool to the right in order to find information about local trial court elections in your state in 2026.Click here for information about state supreme court elections in 2026, andclick here for information about state intermediate appellate court elections.

Explore Ballotpedia's coverage of these elections:
  • On the ballot
    A list of elections and candidates on the ballot
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  • Past elections
    A summary of elections in past cycles
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On the ballot

Click the tabs below to view information about the elections this year. In this section, you will find:

  • A map of states with elections
  • A list of candidates running
  • A map of election types by state
  • Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool
States with elections
List of candidates
Method of election
What's on your ballot?

The map below highlights states where local court elections are taking place in one of America's largest 100 cities in 2026.

To learn about the localities in each state holding local judicial elections, click the links below:

Past elections

See also:2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024, and2025

Click on the tabs below to view election information from previous years. On mobile, you can scroll left and right to see additional tabs.

2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016

In2025, Ballotpedia covered local judicial elections acrossAmerica's 100 largest cities by population.

The map below highlights states where local court elections took place in one of America's largest 100 cities in 2025.

To learn about the localities in each state holding local judicial elections, click the links below:

Election coverage by office

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See also

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Judicial selection in state courts
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Commission selection, political appointment •Gubernatorial appointment •Legislative appointment •Partisan elections •Nonpartisan elections •Retention election

How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts •How vacancies are filled in state intermediate appellate courts
Elections
Mayoral:2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020

Municipal:2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016 •2015 •2014
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