2008 State Supreme Court Elections
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Nearly seventy state Supreme Court seats are up for election or retention votes in 2008. Thirty-nine seats in twenty-one states offer the prospect of vigorous electoral contests for state high court judicial positions, while a number of judges in states where judges are appointed are up for retention votes.[1]
For information on lower court contests, please visit our "See Also" section below.
Contested state Supreme Court seats
Contested seats, election concluded
| Court | Incumbent | Challenger | Details | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Supreme Court | Butler | Gableman | Wisconsin Supreme Court election | Voters chose Gableman, April 1, 2008 |
State justices facing retention votes
State justices appointed in 2008
| Court | Appointer | Why vacant? | Nominees | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Supreme Court | Governor | Raoul G. Cantero is stepping down effective September 6. | - | - |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Governor | Jerry L. Larson retired May 17, 2008 | Connie Alt, David Baker, Thomas Waterman | Gov. Culver appointed David Baker on April 4, 2008 |
| Louisiana Supreme Court | Appointment | Pascal Calogero is retiring | Assuming she is successfully re-elected, Catherine D. Kimball will be taking Calogero's spot as Chief Justice | NA |
| Circuit 7, Maryland Court of Appeals | Governor | Irma Raker has reached the mandatory retirement age. | - | - |
| Circuit 2, Maryland Court of Appeals | Governor | Vacancy | - | - |
| Minnesota Supreme Court | Governor | Chief Justice Russell Anderson retired in June | Eric Magnuson | Magnuson was appointed in March 2008 to replace Anderson in June |
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court | Governor | Chief Justice Ralph Cappy retired January 7, 2008. | James Gardner Colins | Interim appointment is pending; appointee will fill vacancy until 2009 |
Supreme Court judges chosen by state legislature
Note: South Carolina is the only state where the members of the state Supreme Court are chosen by the state legislature.
| Court | Retiring judge | New judge | Date of election | Date sworn in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina Supreme Court | James E. Moore | John Kittredge | February 2008 | June 18, 2008 |
State justices running in uncontested elections
Organization Eyes Specific States
Justice at Stake, a "nonpartisan national campaign"[2], "will be watching five states particularly closely."[3] They contest the following:
- Alabama
- "Candidates for the Alabama Supreme Court have combined to raise $54 million since 1993, far and away the most of any state in the country. Justice Harold See has announced plans to retire rather than run for re-election in 2008. An open seat on the Alabama Supreme Court is guaranteed to attract large sums from business and trial lawyer interests. The state’s partisan system of judicial elections, combined with an absence of both campaign contribution limits and disclosure rules for special interest groups, suggests a raucous campaign for Justice See’s seat."
- Minnesota
- "Minnesotans may be called upon to consider a constitutional amendment that would change how the state’s judges are chosen. Early in 2007, a commission led by former Republican Governor Al Quie proposed replacing the state’s system of contested judicial elections with a system of merit selection, performance evaluations, and “yes/no” retention elections. Against the backdrop of this proposed amendment, three members of Minnesota’s highest court are slated to stand for re-election, including the Chief Justice. Minnesota is one of only two states that – to date – has not seen broadcast television advertising in its high court campaigns."
- Missouri
- "Home to the hybrid “Missouri Plan” of gubernatorial appointment with voter retention or rejection of many of the state’s judges, no other state’s court system has been subject to such a steady barrage of political attacks in 2007. This year’s skirmishes may be a warm-up for a full-scale war against the courts next year. Constitutional amendments to dismember the “Missouri Plan” are likely to be introduced when the state legislature convenes in January. If legislative efforts are unsuccessful, the money appears to be available to attempt to place an amendment on the ballot through petition."
- Washington
- "Campaign fundraising for the Washington Supreme Court has risen steadily in each of the last four cycles, and 2006 was a watershed year for the Evergreen State’s high court races. A trio of special interest groups combined to spend over $2.7 million on top court campaigns, and every TV ad in those races was paid for by third-party groups. In 2008, three of the nine members of the state’s highest court will be on the ballot, including the as-yet-un-named successor to Justice Bobbe Bridge, who is retiring. The state debated, but did not enact, campaign reforms after the record-breaking 2006 races..."
- West Virginia
- "Voters of West Virginia have spent much of the last two years trying to wipe away memories of the brutal 2004 campaign for their state’s highest court, which was so unrelentingly negative it landed on the front page of the New York Times...business groups and trial lawyers will square off again, this time with two seats on the five-member court up for election."
See Also
- 2008 State Appellate Court Elections
- 2008 State Circuit Court Elections
- 2008 State District Court Elections
- Judicial Selection in the States: Courts of Last Resort
- Judicial Selection in the States
- Adam Smith Foundation
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Race (2008)
- Justice at Stake
External Links
State Finance Director Jim Main says he won't run for the Alabama Supreme Court this year
