Category Archives: judicial elections

ELB Book Corner: Michael Kang: “Getting Rid of Re-Election: A Single Term Limit”

October 11, 2023, 7:00 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

I am pleased to welcome Michael Kang to ELB Book Corner. Michael, along with Joanna Shepherd, is author of the new book, Free to Judge: The Power of Campaign Money in Judicial Elections. Here is the final… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Michael Kang: “Why Campaign Money Matters”

October 10, 2023, 7:00 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

ELB Book Corner: Michael Kang: “Free to Judge: The Power of Campaign Money in Judicial Elections”

October 9, 2023, 7:00 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

James Sample: “Necessity and Impossibility: Wisconsin and Recusal”

October 7, 2023, 7:56 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

The following is a guest post from James Sample: My basic reaction to Justice Protasiewicz’s opinion is one bordering on intractable depression. It’s both necessary and impossible to disaggregate the interwoven components of the entire Wisconsin political milieu. The… Continue reading

“Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice rejects GOP call to recuse on redistricting cases”

October 6, 2023, 4:33 pmjudicial elections, redistrictingRick Hasen

AP: The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote along partisan lines Friday, agreed to hear a challenge to Republican-drawn legislative maps after a newly elected liberal justice declined to recuse herself. Justice Janet Protasiewicz’s decision to remain on the… Continue reading

“Mississippi high court blocks appointment of some judges in majority-Black capital city and county”

September 23, 2023, 2:58 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

AP: The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday struck down part of a state law that would have authorized some circuit court judges to be appointed rather than elected in the capital city of Jackson and the surrounding county, which are… Continue reading

“Different Futures For Pennsylvania Elections Collide in November’s Supreme Court Race”

September 15, 2023, 8:40 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Bolts: In a decision that landed days before the 2022 midterms, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered elections officials not to count any mail ballots on which a voter had forgotten to include a date or scribbled an incorrect one, even… Continue reading

Brennan Center Launches “State Court Report”

September 12, 2023, 7:27 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Release: Today the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law launched State Court Report, a nonpartisan website devoted to state constitutions and courts. It features commentary and analysis by a wide range of experts, including Judge Pierre Bergeron of… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “Justice Janet Protasiewicz is under pressure to step away from a case. What to know about impeachment and recusal”

September 2, 2023, 2:31 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: What role does campaign spending play in recusal? In Wisconsin, none. The state Supreme Court adopted rules in 2010 that a judge “shall not be required” to recuse based solely on an endorsement or campaign contribution. That’s a… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “Speaker Robin Vos keeps open option of impeaching newly elected Justice Janet Protasiewicz”

August 30, 2023, 6:51 amconflict of interest laws, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos continues to leave the door open to launching impeachment proceedings against state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she does not recuse herself from lawsuits challenging the state’s electoral maps. The Rochester Republican raised … Continue reading

And In Election/Government Dysfunction News from Wisconsin….

August 29, 2023, 6:51 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel offers Legislature’s attorneys weigh in against Republican position in fight over elections chief Wolfe and Supreme Court feud escalates as Chief Justice Ziegler vows to post court director job.

“Wisconsin Supreme Court flips liberal, creating a ‘seismic shift’”

August 27, 2023, 7:47 amjudicial elections, political polarizationRick Hasen

Patrick Marley for WaPo: Liberal groups, long accustomed to seeing the court as hostile terrain, quickly maneuvered for potential victories on a string of major issues. They filed lawsuits to try to redraw the state’s legislative districts, which heavily… Continue reading

“Your State-by-State Guide to Every State Supreme Court”

August 24, 2023, 7:28 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Bolts: Every state and territory has its own supreme court and every supreme court has tremendous power over legal cases and public policy within its borders—but the resemblances end there. No two courts are exactly the same. Each has its… Continue reading