Category Archives: judicial elections

“West Virginia’s high court corruption just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to big money’s judicial influence”

August 16, 2018, 2:28 pmchicanery, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Jame Sample for NBC Think: In West Virginia, Justice Robin Davis spent an absurd $500,278.23 in taxpayer dollars on renovating her office alone. Mind you, Davis is the same jurist who, through her husband, sold a $1.3 million Lear … Continue reading

“West Virginia’s efforts to impeach the state’s Supreme Court are just the latest in a worrisome trend”

August 15, 2018, 7:29 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

Lots of Drama in West Virginia Over State Supreme Court Justices; Was Impeachment Timing Way for Republicans to Avoid Holding Election For Judicial Replacements?

August 14, 2018, 7:46 amcampaigns, judicial electionsRick Hasen

See this thread: This is a BFD. The GOP-controlled legislature dragged its feet forvmonths on impeaching these justices to prevent their replacement by voters via special elections this fall. Missing today's deadline lets Republican Gov. Jim Justice appoint their replacements.… Continue reading

“Why one NC GOP official calls Republican Supreme Court candidate ‘the enemy'”

July 4, 2018, 9:41 pmchicanery, judicial electionsRick Hasen

News and Observer: North Carolina Republicans are crying foul over a candidate who could change the balance of the state Supreme Court. And that candidate is a Republican. Raleigh attorney Chris Anglin filed at the last minute last week. He… Continue reading

Unanimous Sixth Circuit Upholds Six Ohio Judicial Candidate Speech/Conduct Rules Against First Amendment Challenge [corrected title]

June 25, 2018, 10:41 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Today’s opinion in Platt v. Board of Commissioners continues the trend since the Supreme Court’s Williams-Yulee case upholding a number of judicial speech and conduct rules (more about that coming in the 2018 Election Law casebook supplement). The provisions… Continue reading

“Judge rules for lawmakers: No primary elections for NC judges”

June 19, 2018, 7:51 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

News and Observer: In the first year in decades that all judicial races will be partisan races, North Carolina will not have primary elections that allow the political parties to winnow the names of candidates who will appear on ballots… Continue reading

“Bid to recall Judge Aaron Persky appears successful in Santa Clara County”

June 5, 2018, 9:48 pmjudicial elections, recall electionsRick Hasen

SF Chronicle reports. First CA judge to be recalled since 1932.

Partisan Gerrymandering of Judicial Election Districts Coming to North Carolina?

May 30, 2018, 8:50 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

This can’t be good. The way Mecklenburg County voters choose judges would change dramatically under a bill that passed the North Carolina Senate Wednesday and appears to be moving quickly through the General Assembly. The county’s eight Superior Court judges,… Continue reading

“The Agnostic’s Guide to Judicial Selection”

May 15, 2018, 10:12 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

James Sample, who does some of the best legal work on judicial selection mechanisms, has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming Depaul Law Review). Here is the abstract: The vast majority of judicial selection discussions, whether in academia, on the… Continue reading

ACS Phone Briefing Today: Judicial Gerrymandering? The Voting Rights Act, Judicial Elections, and Redistricting

May 2, 2018, 7:33 amjudicial elections, redistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Details: Judicial Gerrymandering? The Voting Rights Act, Judicial Elections, and Redistricting May 2, 2018 01:00 PM – 02:00 PM Event Location: ACS Webinar , Details: In recent weeks, the North Carolina General Assembly has proposed redrawing the map of the… Continue reading

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case Barring Montana Judicial Candidates from Taking, Using Political Party Endorsements

April 23, 2018, 8:17 amjudicial elections, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

No noted dissents on today’s order list. I had thought in reading the cert petition this one had a decent chance of a grant.

“America’s State Courts Are Under Partisan Attack”

April 8, 2018, 5:53 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

NYT editorial.

“The Unbelievable True Story of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court and What’s at Stake”

March 23, 2018, 8:47 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Rewire News: For well over a century, Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court was largely considered to be an exemplary legal body, lauded for its fair-minded and rigorous approach. In the past decade, however, there’s been a significant erosion of that reputation,… Continue reading

“Gerrymandering Justice: Reaction to the Pa. Supreme Court’s Rulings”

March 12, 2018, 1:05 pmjudicial elections, redistrictingRick Hasen

Howard Bashman in the Legal Intelligencer: In my view, it would be a huge mistake for Republican state legislators to actually initiate impeachment proceedings against Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices for having issued rulings with which the legislators disagree as a… Continue reading