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Minnesota judicial elections, 2016
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| 2016 State Judicial Elections | |
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2017 »
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| Part 1: Overview | |
| Part 2: Supreme Courts | |
| Part 3: Partisanship | |
| Part 4: Changes in 2016 | |
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Ten seats on Minnesota's state-level courts were up for election on November 8, 2016, with a primary on August 9. One seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court joined nine seats on the Minnesota Court of Appeals on the ballot. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan. Each justice or judge elected to either court serves a six-year term.
Justice Natalie Hudson held the supreme court seat heading into the election. She was appointed in 2015 by Gov. Mark Dayton (D) to succeed Justice Alan Page, who retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Judges Randolph Peterson, Heidi Schellhas, Francis Connolly, Matthew Johnson, Michelle Ann Larkin, Louise Bjorkman, Lawrence Stauber, Denise D. Reilly, and Peter M. Reyes, Jr. held the appeals court seats up for election in 2016. Each ran unopposed for re-election; thus, each advanced directly to the general election and their names did not appear on the primary ballot.
General election candidates
Supreme Court
Seat 6
■ Natalie Hudson 
(Incumbent)
■ Michelle L. MacDonald
Court of Appeals
Seat 5
■ Louise Bjorkman (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Seat 8
■ Denise D. Reilly (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Seat 11
■ Michelle Ann Larkin (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Seat 13
■ Randolph Peterson (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Seat 14
■ Lawrence Stauber (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Seat 16
■ Peter M. Reyes, Jr. (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Seat 17
■ Matthew Johnson (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Seat 18
■ Heidi Schellhas (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Seat 19
■ Francis Connolly (Incumbent/Unopposed)
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 | ||
Incumbent Louise Bjorkman ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 5 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 5, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Louise Bjorkman Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.91% | 1,704,673 |
| Write-in votes | 1.09% | 18,790 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,723,463 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Denise D. Reilly ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 8 on the Minnesota Court of appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 8, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Denise D. Reilly Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.01% | 1,679,432 |
| Write-in votes | 0.99% | 16,847 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,696,279 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Michelle Ann Larkin ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 11 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 11, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michelle Ann Larkin Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.05% | 1,673,976 |
| Write-in votes | 0.95% | 16,043 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,690,019 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Randolph Peterson ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 13 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 13, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Randolph Peterson Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.03% | 1,655,611 |
| Write-in votes | 0.97% | 16,225 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,671,836 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Lawrence Stauber ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 14 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 14, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Lawrence Stauber Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.03% | 1,648,207 |
| Write-in votes | 0.97% | 16,156 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,664,363 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Peter M. Reyes, Jr. ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 16 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 16, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Peter M. Reyes, Jr. Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.07% | 1,639,561 |
| Write-in votes | 0.93% | 15,308 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,654,869 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Matthew Johnson ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 17 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 17, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Matthew Johnson Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.08% | 1,640,174 |
| Write-in votes | 0.92% | 15,226 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,655,400 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Heidi Schellhas ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 18 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 18, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Heidi Schellhas Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.09% | 1,635,569 |
| Write-in votes | 0.91% | 14,981 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,650,550 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Francis Connolly ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 19 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 19, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Francis Connolly Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.09% | 1,632,466 |
| Write-in votes | 0.91% | 14,915 |
| Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,647,381 | |
| 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 | ||
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Minnesota
Judges of the Minnesota Supreme Court, Minnesota Court of Appeals, and Minnesota District Courts are all chosen in nonpartisan elections and serve six-year terms. Candidates compete in primaries, from which the top two contestants advance to the general election.[1] For more information on these elections, visit Ballotpedia's Minnesota judicial elections page.
Sitting judges must run for re-election if they wish to serve additional terms. While party affiliation is not designated on the ballot, incumbency is.[1]
Selection of the chief judge or justice
The process of selecting a chief judge or justice varies from court to court:
- 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.
- The chief judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals is appointed by the governor to a three-year term.
- The chief judge of each Minnesota District Court is selected by peer vote. He or she serves in that capacity for two years.[1]
Vacancies
Interim vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointment. Appointed judges serve until the next general election occurring more than one year after their appointment.[1]
Judicial nominating commission
In 1989, a judicial nominating commission was created to help the governor fill vacancies on the Minnesota District Courts. Some governors enlist the commission's help in filling appellate vacancies as well. When a vacancy occurs on one of the district courts, the commission screens and evaluates applicants for the position and submits a list of three to five candidates to the governor. The governor is not bound to the commission's recommendations.[2]
The commission is made up of 49 members:
- 27 members are appointed by the governor and serve at the governor's will.
- 22 members are appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court and serve four-year terms that end when the governor's term ends.[2]
Qualifications
Judges of all courts are required to be "learned in the law" and under 70 years old. Sitting judges who reach the age of 70 while in office are allowed to serve until the last day of that month.[1][3]
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.[4]
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Minnesota," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Minnesota; Judicial Nominating Commissions," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ Office of the Revisor of Statutes, "2015 Minnesota Statutes," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ 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
