Category Archives: judicial elections

“Riggs’ lead drops by 67 votes as 60 counties complete NC Supreme Court recount”

November 26, 2024, 7:19 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Carolina Journal: With 60 of North Carolina’s 100 counties completing recounts in a closely contested state Supreme Court race, appointed incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs’ lead has dropped by 67 votes over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin. Riggs still leads Griffin… Continue reading

New Article: “The Brave New World of Judicial Elections: What We Know and What We Don’t”

November 23, 2024, 12:07 pmjudicial electionsNew ScholarshipTabatha Abu El-Haj

Charles Gardner Geyh (Indiana University Maurer School of Law) has posted this new article on judicial elections on SSRN: In this essay, I begin with a discussion of established legal theory, which elucidates the difficulties created by calling upon judges… Continue reading

“This Election’s Surprising Bright Spot for Progressives Is a Very Big Deal”

November 21, 2024, 9:18 amjudicial elections2024 Election Cycle, state supreme courtsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Mark Joseph Stern (Slate) offers a round-up on state supreme court races and analysis. “Across the country, voters also elected liberal justices to their state Supreme Courts, which function as a key backstop for civil rights and democracy as federal… Continue reading

“Losing GOP candidate for NC Supreme Court challenges 60,000 ballots as recount starts”

November 21, 2024, 5:34 amabsentee ballots, ballot access, judicial elections, provisional ballots, recounts2024 Election Cycle, North CarolinaTabatha Abu El-Haj

News&Observer: Jefferson Griffin, the Republican candidate for North Carolina Supreme Court, requests a recount where he trails by 625 votes while also filing “a series of election protests on Tuesday challenging the validity of over 60,000 ballots cast across… Continue reading

NC Supreme Court Race–Update

November 19, 2024, 11:34 amjudicial elections2024 Election Cycle, North Carolina Supreme Court, recountsTabatha Abu El-Haj

WRAL News: North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, the Democratic incumbent, appears to have won her judicial race by “625 votes out of 5.5 million.” There are still some outstanding votes to be counted, but her Republican challenger… Continue reading

“Arizona lawmakers agree to let voters decide on retention rules for state Supreme Court justices”

June 14, 2024, 7:44 amdirect democracy, judicial elections, voter initiativesJustin Levitt

The ballot initiative – in the wake of controversy over the state Supreme Court ruling on abortion, affecting two Justices currently on the ballot in November — would apparently end terms for state justices and judges entirely.

“Attorney charged in voting machine tampering case announces run for Michigan Supreme Court”

June 14, 2024, 7:43 amelection subversion risk, judicial electionsJustin Levitt

Welp.

“Georgia Supreme Court Justice Fends Off Challenger Who Made Abortion Rights a Focus”

May 22, 2024, 7:04 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

NYT: The incumbent in the lone competitive race for a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court won re-election on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, fending off a challenge from a former Democratic congressman who had built his campaign… Continue reading

“Arizona Supreme Court justice targeted for removal over 1864 abortion ban blasts critics”

May 20, 2024, 8:17 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Arizona Republic: Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick forcefully decries the effort urging voters to remove him and a colleague from the bench since upholding the state’s 1864 abortion law, arguing his critics are “hijacking the retention process.” In a … Continue reading

“2 Liberal Groups to Spend $5 Million on State Supreme Court Races”

May 20, 2024, 7:33 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

NYT: Two groups on the left with differing missions are joining forces to bolster their preferred candidates in state supreme court races in November, as such elections grow increasingly expensive and politically polarizing. The two organizations — the National Democratic… Continue reading

“Wisconsin Supreme Court justice won’t seek reelection, shaking up the race”

April 11, 2024, 8:18 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

WaPo: The longest-serving member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 4-3 liberal majority announced Thursday she would not run for reelection next year, shaking up a consequential race in a swing state and giving conservatives their last hope of regaining control… Continue reading

Remedies Scholars Brief Filed in Chisom Judicial Elections Voting Rights Case Before En Banc Fifth Circuit

April 6, 2024, 3:03 pmjudicial elections, Remedies, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Remedies scholars Doug Laycock, Doug Rendleman, Caprice Roberts and I have filed this amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit, which is considering en banc Louisiana’s challenge to the consent decree in the Chisom case. It was written by a… Continue reading

Poor Disclosure from Some State Supreme Courts

March 14, 2024, 6:45 amconflict of interest laws, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Fix the Court release: State supreme court justices have the power to impact federal elections, redistricting, immigration, reproductive rights, gun rights and more, and yet most states are suppressing information about their top judges — either by making it difficult… Continue reading

“Janet Protasiewicz campaign official claims vulgar reason for embedding horses in ads”

February 6, 2024, 11:50 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwakee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin voters were bombarded with ads last year in the most expensive state court race in U.S. history, but they probably didn’t notice commercials paid for by Janet Protasiewicz’s campaign featured a number of horses. That… Continue reading