Election law changes? Our legislation tracker’s got you.Check it out!

State judicial elections, 2020

From Ballotpedia
2020 State
Judicial Elections
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Overview
Supreme Courts Overview
Appellate Courts Overview
View judicial elections by state:

A total of 279 state appellate court seats were up for election in 2020. Ballotpedia provided coverage ofsupreme court andintermediate appellate court elections, as well aslocal trial court elections for judges within the100 largest cities in the United States as measured by population.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Thirty-five states held state supreme court elections in 2020. In total, 78 of the nation’s 344 state supreme court seats were up for election.
  • Thirty states held intermediate appellate court elections in 2020. There were 201 seats on intermediate appellate courts up for election.

    • Overview

    The map below details which states held state judicial elections in 2020 and how many seats were up for election on each court.

    List of 2020 elections

    The table below details which states held state judicial elections in 2020 and how many seats were up for election on each court. Each cell contains a link to more information about the supreme court or intermediate appellate court elections in the specified state.

    2020 State Judicial Elections
    StateSupreme courtIntermediate appellate court
    Alabama2 seats4 seats
    Alaska1 seat1 seat
    Arizona3 seats11 seats
    Arkansas1 seat4 seats
    Colorado2 seats2 seats
    Florida1 seat25 seats
    Georgia2 seats5 seats
    Idaho2 seats1 seat
    Illinois3 seats9 seats
    Indiana1 seat6 seats
    Iowa4 seats4 seats
    Kansas1 seat5 seats
    Kentucky1 seat1 seat
    Louisiana2 seats14 seats
    Maryland3 seats4 seats
    Michigan2 seats11 seats
    Minnesota1 seat4 seats
    Mississippi4 seats0
    Missouri1 seat6 seats
    Montana2 seats0
    Nebraska2 seats2 seats
    Nevada2 seats1 seat
    New Mexico2 seats4 seats
    North Carolina3 seats5 seats
    North Dakota1 seat0
    Ohio2 seats21 seats
    Oklahoma5 seats3 seats
    Oregon3 seats5 seats
    South Dakota1 seat0
    Tennessee01 seat
    Texas7 seats24 seats
    Utah1 seat6 seats
    Washington4 seats7 seats
    West Virginia3 seats0
    Wisconsin1 seat3 seats
    Wyoming2 seats0

    How are judges selected?

    See also:Judicial selection in the states

    Methods of judicial selection vary substantially across the United States.[1]Though each state has a unique set of guidelines governing how they fill their state and local judiciaries, there are five main methods. Three methods are primarily election-based; two methods are primarily appointment-based.

    Election-based methods

    • Partisan elections: Judges are elected by voters, and candidates are listed on the ballot alongside a label designating political party affiliation.
    • Nonpartisan elections: Judges are elected by voters, and candidates are listed on the ballot without a label designating party affiliation.
    • Legislative elections: Judges are selected by the state legislature.

    Appointment-based methods

    • Gubernatorial appointment: Judges are appointed by the governor. In some cases, the state's legislative body must approve the governor's choice.
    • Assisted appointment: A nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list. After serving an initial term, the judge must be confirmed by voters in a yes-noretention election to continue serving.[2] This method is also known as merit selection or the Missouri Plan.

    States may use more than one method across different levels of courts. For example, appellate court judges inNew York are chosen byassisted appointment, but the state’s trial court judges are chosen inpartisan elections. Some states may even select judges of the same court level differently depending on the population of an area or local opinion.[1][2]

    What types of courts might appear on my ballot?

    Depending on your state, judges from several different levels of courts may appear on the ballot.

    Limited jurisdiction courts

    Limited jurisdiction is a type ofjurisdiction conferred on courts with legal authority restricted to specific subjects, cases, or persons. Examples of limited jurisdiction courts include family courts, traffic courts, probate courts, and military courts.[3] Forty-six states have clearly defined limited jurisdiction courts.Washington, D.C., and four states (California,Illinois,Iowa, andMinnesota) do not have such courts.[4]

    General jurisdiction courts

    See also:Trial courts and judges

    General jurisdiction is a term used to describe courts that do not have limits on the type of cases they can hear. Cases typically originate in general jurisdiction courts, and their decisions can be appealed tointermediate appellate courts. All 50 states andWashington, D.C., have general jurisdiction courts. General jurisdiction courts are sometimes referred to astrial courts or district courts.

    Intermediate appellate courts

    See also:Intermediate appellate courts andState intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

    Intermediate appellate courts, as their name suggests, serve as an intermediate step between the trial courts and the courts of last resort in a state. Their jurisdiction varies from state to state.

    Forty-one states have at least one intermediate appellate court. Some states have more than one of these types of courts. For example, Alabama has one intermediate appellate court forcivil matters and another forcriminal matters. Pennsylvania'ssuperior court andcommonwealth court are both appellate courts but have different jurisdictions. Other states, such asIllinois andCalifornia, have multiple divisions of intermediate appellate courts with varying degrees of independence from each other. Intermediate appellate courts are sometimes called courts of appeal.

    Courts of last resort

    See also:State supreme courts andState supreme court elections, 2020

    A statecourt of last resort is the highest judicial body within a jurisdiction's court system. It is a court with the highest appellate authority, meaning that its rulings are not subject to review by any other court in the state. A court of last resort is often, but not always, referred to as asupreme court.[5]

    All 50 states andWashington, D.C., have at least one court of last resort.Oklahoma andTexas both have two courts of last resort, one for civil appeals and one for criminal appeals.

    Historical election data

    There were 615 state judicial elections held from 2016 to 2019—265 in 2016, 21 in 2017, 312 in 2018, and 17 in 2019.

    State judicial elections, 2016-2019
    YearCourt of last resort seatsIntermediate appellate court seatsTotal
    2019
    3
    14
    17
    2018
    68
    244
    312
    2017
    4
    17
    21
    2016
    76
    189
    265
    Total
    151
    464
    615

    Courts of last resort

    Retention

    From 2016 to 2019, retention elections took place for 59 judicial seats on courts of last resort. All 59 of those judges were retained.

    Non-retention

    There were 92 non-retention elections held from 2016 to 2019, with 57 races contested (62.0%). Incumbents ran for re-election 72.8% of the time. Of the incumbents who ran for re-election, 86.6% won re-election.

    The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of seats up for election, the number of contested seats, the number and percentage of incumbents who sought re-election, the number and percentage of incumbents who faced opposition, and the number and percentage of incumbents who won another term.

    Court of last resort elections, 2016-2019
    YearTotal seatsSeats contestedIncumbents who
    sought re-election    		% incumbents who
    sought re-election    		Incumbents who
    faced opposition    		% incumbents who
    faced opposition    		Incumbents who
    were re-elected    		% incumbents who
    were re-elected
    2019
    3
    3
    0
    0.0%
    0
    0.0%
    0
    0.0%
    2018
    45
    25
    34
    75.6%
    19
    55.9%
    28
    82.4%
    2017
    2
    1
    2
    100%
    1
    50.0%
    2
    100%
    2016
    42
    28
    31
    73.8%
    17
    54.8%
    28
    90.3%
    Total
    92
    57
    67
    72.83%
    37
    55.2%
    58
    86.6%

    Intermediate appellate courts

    Retention

    From 2016 to 2019, retention elections took place for 191 judicial seats on intermediate appellate courts. All 191 of those judges were retained.

    Non-retention

    There were 273 non-retention elections from 2016 to 2019, with 120 races contested (44.0%). Incumbents ran for re-election 76.2% of the time. Of the incumbents who ran for re-election, 81.7% won re-election.

    The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of seats up for election, the number of contested seats, the number and percentage of incumbents who sought re-election, the number and percentage of incumbents who faced opposition, and the number and percentage of incumbents who won another term.

    Intermediate appellate court elections, 2016-2018
    YearTotal seatsSeats contestedIncumbents who
    sought re-election    		% incumbents who
    sought re-election    		Incumbents who
    faced opposition    		% incumbents who
    faced opposition    		Incumbents who
    were re-elected    		% incumbents who
    were re-elected
    2019
    10
    7
    5
    50.0%
    0
    0.0%
    5
    100.0%
    2018
    142
    69
    112
    78.9%
    44
    39.3%
    82
    73.2%
    2017
    16
    11
    6
    37.5%
    3
    50.0%
    4
    66.7%
    2016
    105
    33
    85
    81.0%
    20
    23.5%
    79
    92.9%
    Total
    273
    120
    208
    76.2%
    67
    32.2%
    170
    81.7%

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    v • e
    Judicial elections by state
    Electionbuttonsnowords.png
    v • e
    2020 State Judicial Elections
    State supreme court elections by stateBallotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
    Intermediate appellate court elections by state
    Ballotpedia
    Editorial Content
    Josh Altic, Director of Content •Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data •Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features •Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures •Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News •Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion •Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections •Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law •Joel Williams, Managing Editor of Events •Joseph Greaney, Managing Editor of Policy •Andrew Bahl •Jaclyn Beran •Marielle Bricker •Joseph Brusgard •Emma Burlingame •Kelly Coyle •Jon Dunn •Victoria Edwards •Thomas Ellis •Nicole Fisher •Thomas Grobben •Brianna Hosea •Molly Kehoe •Tyler King •Glorie Martinez •Norm Leahy, Senior Editor •Nathan Maxwell •Jimmy McAllister •Brandon McCauley •Andrew McNair •Ellie Mikus •Mackenzie Murphy •Kaley Platek •Samantha Post •Adam Powell •Annelise Reinwald •Spencer Richardson •Victoria Rose •Briana Ryan •Myj Saintyl •Maddy Salucka •Emma Soukup •Alexis Thacker •Mina Vogel •Samuel Wonacott •Trenton Woodcox