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Minnesota Supreme Court elections, 2016
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| 2016 State Judicial Elections |
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| Part 1: Overview |
| Part 2: Supreme Courts |
| Part 3: Partisanship |
| Part 4: Changes in 2016 |
One seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court was on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016, with a primary on August 9. This seat was held by Justice Natalie Hudson heading into the election. Hudson was appointed in 2015 by Gov. Mark Dayton (D) to succeed Justice Alan Page, who retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. She was challenged in the August 9 primary by attorneys Michelle L. MacDonald and Craig Foss. Hudson and MacDonald defeated Foss and advanced to the November 8 general election.
Judicial elections in Minnesota are nonpartisan. Supreme court justices are elected to six-year terms.
General election candidates
Seat 6
■ Natalie Hudson 
(Incumbent)
■ Michelle L. MacDonald
Election results
November 8 general election
Incumbent Natalie Hudson defeated Michelle L. MacDonald in the general election for Seat 6 on the Minnesota Supreme Court.
| Minnesota Supreme Court, Seat 6, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Natalie Hudson Incumbent |
58.81% | 1,266,827 |
| Michelle L. MacDonald | 40.77% | 878,270 |
| Write-in votes | 0.42% | 8,945 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 2,154,042 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
August 9 primary
Incumbent Justice Natalie Hudson and challenger Michelle L. MacDonald were the top two finishers and advanced to the November 8 general election.
| Minnesota Supreme Court Primary, Seat 6, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Natalie Hudson Incumbent |
64.96% | 173,884 |
| Michelle L. MacDonald |
20.49% | 54,853 |
| Craig Foss | 14.55% | 38,960 |
| Total Votes (4110 of 4120 Precincts Reporting) | 267,697 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Minnesota State Bar Association poll
The Minnesota State Bar Association polled its members between July 11 and July 24, 2016.[1] The poll included 3,396 members; 1172 (34.5 percent) responded. The respondents overwhelmingly favored Justice Hudson.
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Natalie Hudson | 1099 of 1172 | 93.77% |
| Michelle L. MacDonald | 37 of 1172 | 3.16% |
| Craig Foss | 36 of 1172 | 3.07% |
| Source: | Minnesota State Bar Association |
Political composition
Minnesota's supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. None of the seven justices serving on the court prior to the 2016 election was originally elected to the office. Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, Justice Barry Anderson, Justice Christopher Dietzen, and Justice David Stras were appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R). Justice Margaret Chutich, Justice David Lillehaug, and Justice Natalie Hudson were appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton (D).
Chief Justice Lorie Gildea
Justice Barry Anderson
Justice Christopher Dietzen
Justice David Stras
Justice Margaret Chutich
Justice David Lillehaug
Justice Natalie Hudson
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Minnesota
Justices are elected in nonpartisan elections for terms of six years. If a vacancy occurs, the governor of Minnesota appoints a replacement.[2]
Qualifications
According to the constitution of Minnesota, "[j]udges of the supreme court, the court of appeals and the district court shall be learned in the law. The qualifications of all other judges and judicial officers shall be prescribed by law."[3]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court is directly chosen by voters in a nonpartisan election. He or she serves in that capacity for a full six-year term.[4]
State profile
| Demographic data for Minnesota | ||
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 5,482,435 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 79,627 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 84.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 5.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.7% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 33.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,492 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Minnesota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Minnesota
Minnesota voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 19 are located in Minnesota, accounting for 9.22 percent of the total pivot counties.[5]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Minnesota had 15 Retained Pivot Counties and four Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 8.29 and 16.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Minnesota coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Minnesota
- United States congressional delegations from Minnesota
- Public policy in Minnesota
- Endorsers in Minnesota
- Minnesota fact checks
- More...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Minnesota court elections' OR 'Minnesota Supreme Court' OR 'Minnesota judicial election 2016'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Minnesota State Bar Association, "Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) Announces Results of Poll on Contested Supreme Court Judicial Race," July 25, 2016]
- ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Legislature, "Minnesota Constitution: Article VI, Section 5," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Minnesota," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Minnesota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Minnesota
State courts:
Minnesota Supreme Court • Minnesota Court of Appeals • Minnesota District Courts • Minnesota Problem-Solving Courts • Minnesota Tax Court • Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
State resources:
Courts in Minnesota • Minnesota judicial elections • Judicial selection in Minnesota
