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M. Cole McKnight
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2025 - Present
2031
0
M. Cole McKnight is a judge of the Superior Court of Kern County in California. McKnight assumed office on January 6, 2025. McKnight's current term ends on January 6, 2031.
McKnight won election for judge of the Superior Court of Kern County in California outright in the primary on March 5, 2024, after the general election was canceled.
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Kern County, California (2024)
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of Kern County
M. Cole McKnight won election outright in the primary for Superior Court of Kern County on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | M. Cole McKnight (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 92,326 | |
| Total votes: 92,326 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McKnight in this election.
2018
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of Kern County
Incumbent John L. Fielder won election outright against M. Cole McKnight in the primary for Superior Court of Kern County on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John L. Fielder (Nonpartisan) | 59.0 | 60,499 |
| M. Cole McKnight (Nonpartisan) | 41.0 | 42,007 | ||
| Total votes: 102,506 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election
The 1,535 judges of the California Superior Courts compete in nonpartisan races in even-numbered years. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the June primary election, he or she is declared the winner; if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is held during the November general election.[1][2][3][4]
If an incumbent judge is running unopposed in an election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot. The judge is automatically re-elected following the general election.[1]
The chief judge of any given superior court is selected by peer vote of the court's members. He or she serves in that capacity for one or two years, depending on the county.[1]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[1]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
M. Cole McKnight did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: California," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Safeguarding California's judicial election process," August 21, 2011
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed May 21, 2014
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California
State courts:
California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts
State resources:
Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California
