Category Archives: judicial elections

“How Republicans flipped America’s state supreme courts”

July 24, 2023, 12:30 pmjudicial electionsDan Tokaji

USA Today has this fascinating deep dive into state high courts, by Aaron Mendelson of Center for Public Integrity. Here’s a taste: In less than a decade, Republican politicians in eight states have transformed their state supreme courts — altering… Continue reading

Lone Judicial Voice Supporting Trump’s Extraordinary Theories Running for PA Supreme Court Seat

May 12, 2023, 4:26 amjudicial elections, political polarizationTabatha Abu El-Haj

Bolts Magazine has an in depth report on the candidacy of Pennsylvania, Appellate Judge Patricia McCullough, entitled “The ‘Stop the Steal’ Judge Who Wants a Seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court.” “‘Republican judges across the country stood up and… Continue reading

“Three Cases in North Carolina, Decades of Democracy Undone”

May 7, 2023, 4:45 pmelection administration, election law and constitutional law, felon voting, judicial elections, redistricting, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

Gene Nichol spitting fire in Slate.

“Pritzker Calls for Campaign Finance Reform After Spending $323m on Campaigns”

May 2, 2023, 4:02 pmcampaign finance, judicial electionsJustin Levitt

This piece from Illinois Policy points out, among other things, that Illinois law prohibits any “single person” from donating more than $500K to a single campaign … and that both Pritzker’s campaign committee and his revocable trust donated the… Continue reading

“North Carolina Gerrymander Ruling Reflects Politicization of Judiciary Nationally”

May 1, 2023, 7:42 amjudicial elections, redistrictingJustin Levitt

The NYT with a broader perspective on the North Carolina state Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a decision issued just four months earlier, with Supreme Court elections the only meaningful change in between.

“The Wisconsin Supreme Court Election: A Decidedly Mixed Outcome for Democracy”

April 10, 2023, 7:19 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Kevin Johnson and Alexander Vanderklipp for IVN.

“The Wisconsin Supreme Court election cost $40 million. There could be a better way.”

April 9, 2023, 3:00 pmcampaign finance, judicial electionsJustin Levitt

Alicia Bannon on NPR’s Weekend Edition about reforming judicial elections.

“Justice Janet Protasiewicz, Say Hello To Caperton v. Massey”

April 5, 2023, 3:33 pmcampaign finance, election law and constitutional law, judicial electionsJustin Levitt

Josh Blackman predicts (?) a surge of interest in recusal motions from conservative litigants with new appreciation for the perception of corruption in substantial campaign spending on judicial races.

Janet Protasiewicz wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race

April 5, 2023, 7:55 amjudicial elections, redistrictingJustin Levitt

And the NYT offers a prediction about the first order of business: Once Judge Protasiewicz assumes her place on the court on Aug. 1, the first priority for Wisconsin Democrats will be to bring a case to challenge the current… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “Dan Kelly calls Wisconsin Supreme Court winner Janet Protasiewicz a ‘serial liar’ as he lashes out in his concession speech”

April 5, 2023, 7:39 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly lost his race against Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz by at least 10 percentage points Tuesday but refused to call his opponent to concede, instead choosing to lash out against her… Continue reading

“Mega donors fuel record-shattering $45M Wisconsin Supreme Court race”

April 3, 2023, 11:00 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsJustin Levitt

There’s no shortage of stories today about the money blitz for Tuesday’s state supreme court election. Wisconsin Watch has the following graph:

“Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race could be the beginning of the end for GOP dominance”

March 29, 2023, 6:30 amjudicial elections, redistrictingRick Hasen

Politico: Next week’s Supreme Court election in Wisconsin could be the beginning of the end of the GOP’s near-dominance in Wisconsin. With the exception of the governorship, Republicans have long had a lock on most levers of power in the… Continue reading

“Costly Court Race Points to a Politicized Future for Judicial Elections”

March 28, 2023, 5:34 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

NYT: It is a judicial election like no other in American history. Thirty million dollars and counting has poured into the campaign for a swing seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, with TV ads swamping the airwaves. The candidates leave no… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “5 takeaways from the only Supreme Court election debate. Daniel Kelly and Janet Protasiewicz take the gloves off.”

March 22, 2023, 7:39 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: For nearly an hour, Kelly and Protasiewicz battled at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s headquarters in Madison — accusing each other of running deceitful campaigns and being an unprecedented danger to the state. Protasiewicz called Kelly one of… Continue reading