Press Release: The Supreme Court Special - Why State Races Matter
Contact: Kristen Mathews, Director of Editorial Communications
Tel: (608) 255-0688
E-mail: editor@ballotpedia.org
An in-depth look at each of the nation's 31 state Supreme Court races
Madison - October 18, 2012: With just 20 days until the November 6th general election, voters across the country are beginning the hunt for information about the non-presidential races on their ballot. This year, 25 states will hold 56 elections for their Supreme Courts: 31 popular elections and 25 retention elections.
The writers and researchers of Judgepedia.org have dedicated the most recent edition of the weekly JP Election Brief to coverage of the 31 state Supreme Court races that will be decided in November. States included in the report are Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. Also covered are the judicial retention elections in Florida and Iowa - two races that, despite being retention elections, are of particular import.
Matt Latourelle, Judgepedia’s Project Director for State Courts, explains “These positions are some of the most powerful in state government, but they are often overshadowed by races that are higher on the ballot. Information about judicial elections is scarce. Our aim with this report was to highlight the importance of each race and to give people background information on the candidates and the current state of their judicial system, allowing them to cast their ballot as a truly informed voter.”
The report breaks down the elections by state, offering a detailed analysis of the issues central to each individual race, and in many cases includes quotes directly from the candidates about their views on the issues. It identifies races with the potential to change the partisan balance of the Courts; candidates who have been both criticized and lauded for their actions; endorsements from political parties, labor unions, and individuals; and recent federal rulings with the potential to impact the elections.
In the process of compiling the report, Judgepedia staff contacted 60 judicial candidates (including incumbents) via e-mail and asked them to provide “a two or three sentence quote explaining the significance of the race in which you are running.” 14 candidates responded, all of whom are quoted in the report.
The report was published online. More information is available at Judgepedia's Election Central.
About Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia.org is an encyclopedia of American politics. Ballotpedia delivers exceptionally high quality and easy-to-access information. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Ballotpedia was founded in 2006. It has grown to include approximately 215,000 staff-authored encyclopedic articles that have garnered over 483 million page views.
If you’d like more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Kristen Mathews at editor@ballotpedia.org.
