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State judicial elections, 2025
| 2025 State Judicial Elections | |
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A total of 15 appellate court seats are up for election in 2025. The seats include:
- 5 supreme court seats
- 10 intermediate appellate court seats
Ballotpedia provides coverage of supreme court and intermediate appellate court elections, as well as local trial court elections for judges within the 100 largest cities in the United States as measured by population.
On this page, you will find:
- Information on the different methods of selecting judges
- Information on the different types of courts
- A list of state intermediate appellate court elections in 2025
- A list of state supreme court elections in 2025
- Information on incumbent win rates among state supreme court justices
Judicial selection methods
- See also: Judicial selection in the states
Methods of judicial selection vary substantially across the United States.[1] Though each state has a unique set of guidelines governing how they fill their state and local judiciaries, there are five main methods. Two methods are primarily election-based; three methods are primarily appointment-based.
Election-based methods
- Partisan elections: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot alongside a label designating political party affiliation.
- Nonpartisan elections: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot without a label designating party affiliation.
Appointment-based methods
- Gubernatorial appointment: Judges are appointed by the governor. In some cases, approval from the legislative body is required.
- Assisted appointment, also known as merit selection or the Missouri Plan: A nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list. After serving an initial term, judges typically run in a yes-no retention election to remain on the court.[2] At the state supreme court level, this selection method is further divided into three types. Click here to learn more.
- Legislative elections: Judges are selected by the state legislature.
States may apply more than one of the five methods across different levels of courts. For example, a state may choose its appellate court judges by assisted appointment while choosing its trial court judges in partisan elections. Some states may even select judges of the same court level differently depending on the population of an area or local opinion.[1][2] States may also modify any of the systems above in their own way. The assisted appointment method, in particular, comes in a variety of forms. For instance, some states require the governor to choose from the commission's list of nominees, while in other states the list is only a suggestion.[1]
Types of courts
Depending on your state, judges from several different types of courts may appear on the ballot, each with different jurisdictions. There are four types of courts, listed here in ascending order of jurisdiction:
- Limited jurisdiction courts
- General jurisdiction courts
- Intermediate appellate courts
- Courts of last resort
Limited jurisdiction courts
Limited jurisdiction is a term used to describe courts with legal authority restricted to specific subjects, cases, or persons. Examples of limited jurisdiction courts include family courts, traffic courts, probate courts, and military courts.[3] Forty-six states have limited jurisdiction courts. Washington, D.C., and four states (California, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota) do not have such courts.[4] Rather, their general jurisdiction courts are assigned cases that might normally have been given to a limited jurisdiction court.
General jurisdiction courts
General jurisdiction is a term used to describe courts that do not have limits on the type of cases they can hear. Cases typically originate in general jurisdiction courts, and their decisions can be appealed to intermediate appellate courts. All 50 states and Washington, D.C., have general jurisdiction courts. General jurisdiction courts are sometimes referred to as trial courts or district courts.
Intermediate appellate courts
Intermediate appellate courts, as their name suggests, serve as an intermediate step between the trial courts and the courts of last resort in a state. Their jurisdiction varies from state to state.
Forty-two states have at least one intermediate appellate court. Some states have more than one of these types of courts. For example, Alabama has one intermediate appellate court for civil matters and another for criminal matters. Pennsylvania's superior court and commonwealth court are both appellate courts but have different jurisdictions. Other states, such as Illinois and California, have multiple divisions of intermediate appellate courts with varying degrees of independence from each other. Intermediate appellate courts are sometimes called courts of appeal.
Courts of last resort
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2025
A state court of last resort is the highest judicial body within a jurisdiction's court system. It is a court with the highest appellate authority, meaning that its rulings are not subject to review by any other court in the state. A court of last resort is often, but not always, referred to as a supreme court.[5]
All 50 states and Washington, D.C., have at least one court of last resort. Oklahoma and Texas both have two courts of last resort, one for civil appeals and one for criminal appeals.
State supreme court offices up for election in 2025
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2025
Click the tabs below to view information about the elections this year. In this section, you will find:
- A list of seats up for election
- A list of candidates running
- Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool
The following states are holding an election for a state supreme court seat in 2025. This list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection
Noteworthy elections
Pennsylvania
Three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices — Christine Donohue (D), Kevin M. Dougherty (D), and David N. Wecht (D) — are up for retention elections on November 4, 2025.
WHYY's Carmen Russell-Sluchansky wrote, "State judicial elections typically garner little attention, but Pennsylvania’s 2025 state Supreme Court races are shaping up to be the next major political battleground."[6]
The state court has a 5-2 Democratic majority.[7] The court has been Democratic-controlled since 2015, when Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht won election to their seats.[8] If voters do not retain a justice, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) with approval from two-thirds of the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate, can appoint a temporary replacement until 2027, when an election would be held for a permanent replacement.[9][10][11] Additionally, if all three justices are not retained and the Senate does not approve Shapiro's nominees, the court would be split with two liberals and two conservatives, which The Philadelphia Inquirer's Gillian McGoldrick wrote could leave the court "unlikely to reach majority decisions and could weaken the voice of Pennsylvania’s top court going into the 2028 presidential election, when the swing state could decide the next president yet again."[12]
Pennsylvania uses partisan elections to select a justice for an initial 10-year term, and uses a retention election to determine whether to keep them. If a justice is retained, they will serve another 10-year term. Pennsylvania is one of eight states to use partisan elections for the initial selection of a justice and one of 22 to use retention elections for the renewal of a term.
According to Pennsylvania's Code of Judicial Conduct, justices are limited in their ability to campaign.[10] Both the Democratic and Republican parties have said they would be involved in this race. The Republican State Leadership Committee has run ads on social media, asking voters to vote against retaining the justices, which said, "In 2024, we voted by mail and flipped Pennsylvania red. This year, radical liberal judges are trying to secure another decade of power. We need you to stop them, show up again, vote 'no' in November."[13] As of August 2025, there was no reporting on Democratic efforts. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said in February 2025 that they intended to invest in the state, writing in a statement, "We must preserve fair majorities to ensure state legislative races are run on fair maps and to protect the future of abortion access, voting rights, workers' rights, and so much more."[14]
Since retention elections were established in 1968, only one Pennsylvania justice, Russell Nigro (D) in 2005, has not been retained.[15] Since 2020, in 102 elections, 100 justices (98%) have won retention. The most recent justice in the U.S. to not win retention was Yvonne Kauger in Oklahoma in 2024.
Wisconsin
- See also: Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2025
Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel in the nonpartisan general election for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 1, 2025.[16][17] Incumbent Justice Ann Walsh Bradley did not run for re-election. The filing deadline was January 7, 2025. The primary scheduled for February 18, 2025, was canceled after only two candidates filed to run.
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court elections are officially nonpartisan, but candidates often take stances on specific issues and receive backing from the state's political parties during their campaigns. The state’s Democratic Party endorsed Crawford, and Schimel was the former Republican attorney general.
With Crawford's win, liberals retained a 4-3 majority on the court. Liberals first won a 4-3 majority in the April 2023 election, when Judge Janet Protasiewicz won an open seat, defeating Daniel Kelly 55.4% to 44.4% shifting ideological control of the court for the first time in 15 years.[18]
Crawford was a judge on the Dane County Circuit Court. She previously worked as an attorney for the state attorney general’s office and as legal counsel to former Gov. James Doyle (D).[19] Crawford said she ran to "protect the basic rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites under our constitution."[20] She said she would focus on safety when making decisions: "I believe people in Wisconsin deserve to feel safe as they go about their lives . . . My top priority in making decisions is always to make our communities safer."[21] Crawford campaigned on keeping the current balance on the court intact, and said, "For the first time in years, we have a majority on the court focused on getting the facts right, following the law, and protecting our constitutional rights. We can’t risk having that progress reversed."[22] In addition to the state Democratic Party, Justices Ann Walsh Bradley, Rebecca Dallet, Jill Karofsky, and Janet Protasiewicz — who local media outlets described as the court’s four liberal justices — also endorsed Crawford.[23][24]
Schimel was a judge on the Waukesha County Circuit Court and was the state’s attorney general from 2015 to 2019. Schimel said he ran to "restore confidence in the people of Wisconsin that the justice system will be fair and impartial. I will be honest about my principles, but will never prejudge a case."[25] Schimel’s website said he "dedicated his career to defending victims, supporting law enforcement, and ensuring that criminals are held accountable."[26] Schimel criticized the court for "impos[ing] on the people of this state their will, rather than impartial judgment based on the law." He campaigned on changing the balance of the court and said, "There is no check on this new liberal Supreme Court majority. . . . The only check on them is to take back the majority by winning in 2025.”[27] President Donald Trump (R) and the Wisconsin Professional Police Association received Schimel.[28][29]
According to WisPolitics, the candidates and satellite groups spent more than $100 million on the race.[30][31][32]This surpassed the 2023 election as the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history. According to WisPolitics, candidates and satellite groups spent more than $56 million in the 2023 election.[33][34][35] As of March 24, Crawford raised $21.8 million and spent $21.4 million, and Schimel raised $10 million and spent $9.5 million. Click here to learn more about spending in this race.
Media outlets covering the race wrote that the outcome could affect rulings on issues such as the state’s abortion laws, union rules, and the redistricting process.[36] University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Barry Burden said, "I think the Supreme Court races have become as important as any other race in the state. It’s become the one election that really decides the direction of the state."[37]
Targeted races
DLCC targets
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced they would target the following state supreme court races in 2025:[38]
State intermediate court offices up for election in 2025
Click the tabs below to view information about the elections this year. In this section, you will find:
- A list of seats up for election
- A list of candidates running
- Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool
The following states are holding elections for intermediate appellate court seats in 2025. This list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
State supreme court incumbent win rates
Click the tabs below to view information about incumbent win rates in state supreme court elections over time. In this section, you will find:
- Win rates by year
- Win rates in partisan elections
- Win rates in nonpartisan elections
- Win rates by state
Incumbents tend to do better in elections for any office than newcomers facing incumbents. This is no less true in state supreme court elections. Across all types of state supreme court elections, incumbent justices running for re-election won 93% of the time from 2008 to 2024. The year when the most incumbents lost was 2024, when eight incumbents did not win re-election. The year with the lowest re-election rate was 2015, when out of two justices, only one (50%) was re-elected. In years where more justices were running, the year with the lowest re-election rate was 2024, when 89% of justices were re-elected..
| Election year | Total incumbent elections | Incumbent elections won | Incumbent elections lost | Incumbent win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 73 | 65 | 8 | 89% |
| 2023 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 78 | 75 | 3 | 96% |
| 2021 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | 70 | 64 | 6 | 91% |
| 2019 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2018 | 58 | 52 | 6 | 90% |
| 2017 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 100% |
| 2016 | 65 | 62 | 3 | 95% |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| 2014 | 71 | 69 | 2 | 97% |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 100% |
| 2012 | 65 | 60 | 5 | 92% |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 100% |
| 2010 | 68 | 63 | 5 | 93% |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| 2008 | 63 | 57 | 6 | 90% |
| TOTAL | 625 | 580 | 45 | 93% |
Historical election data
There were 1,610 state judicial elections held from 2016 to 2024.
| Year | Court of last resort seats | Intermediate appellate court seats | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 83 | 221 | 304 |
| 2023 | 2 | 13 | 15 |
| 2022 | 84 | 298 | 384 |
| 2021 | 1 | 14 | 15 |
| 2020 | 78 | 201 | 279 |
| 2019 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
| 2018 | 68 | 244 | 312 |
| 2017 | 4 | 17 | 21 |
| 2016 | 76 | 189 | 265 |
| Total | 399 | 1,211 | 1,610 |
Courts of last resort
Retention
From 2016 to 2024, retention elections took place for 53 judicial seats on courts of last resort. All but two of those judges were retained.
Non-retention
There were 246 non-retention elections held from 2016 to 2024, with 153 races contested (62.2%). Incumbents ran for re-election 74.7% of the time. Of the incumbents who ran for re-election, 87.4% won re-election.
The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of seats up for election, the number of contested seats, the number and percentage of incumbents who sought re-election, the number and percentage of incumbents who faced opposition, and the number and percentage of incumbents who won another term.
| Year | Total seats | Seats contested | Incumbents who sought re-election |
% incumbents who sought re-election |
Incumbents who faced opposition |
% incumbents who faced opposition |
Incumbents who were re-elected |
% incumbents who were re-elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 54 | 26 | 42 | 77.8% | 17 | 40.5% | 35 | 83.3% |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| 2022 | 48 | 30 | 34 | 70.8% | 21 | 61.8% | 32 | 94.1% |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 49 | 37 | 41 | 83.7% | 29 | 70.7% | 36 | 87.8% |
| 2019 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 45 | 25 | 34 | 75.6% | 19 | 55.9% | 28 | 82.4% |
| 2017 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 100% | 1 | 50.0% | 2 | 100% |
| 2016 | 42 | 28 | 31 | 73.8% | 17 | 54.8% | 28 | 90.3% |
| Total | 246 | 153 | 184 | 74.8% | 104 | 56.5% | 161 | 87.5% |
Intermediate appellate courts
Retention
From 2016 to 2024, retention elections took place for 510 judicial seats on intermediate appellate courts. All were retained.
Non-retention
There were 701 non-retention elections from 2016 to 2024, with 297 races contested (42.4%). Incumbents ran for re-election 81.7% of the time. Of the incumbents who ran for re-election, 84.0% won re-election.
The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of seats up for election, the number of contested seats, the number and percentage of incumbents who sought re-election, the number and percentage of incumbents who faced opposition, and the number and percentage of incumbents who won another term.
| Year | Total seats | Seats contested | Incumbents who sought re-election |
% incumbents who sought re-election |
Incumbents who faced opposition |
% incumbents who faced opposition |
Incumbents who were re-elected |
% incumbents who were re-elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 142 | 61 | 116 | 81.7% | 40 | 34.5% | 90 | 77.6% |
| 2023 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 63.6% | 1 | 14.3% | 6 | 85.7% |
| 2022 | 148 | 51 | 114 | 77.0% | 29 | 25.4% | 103 | 90.4% |
| 2021 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50.0% | 3 | 60.0% | 3 | 60.0% |
| 2020 | 117 | 57 | 93 | 79.5% | 37 | 39.8% | 84 | 90.3% |
| 2019 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 50.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 5 | 100.0% |
| 2018 | 142 | 69 | 112 | 78.9% | 44 | 39.3% | 82 | 73.2% |
| 2017 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 37.5% | 3 | 50.0% | 4 | 66.7% |
| 2016 | 105 | 33 | 85 | 81.0% | 20 | 23.5% | 79 | 92.9% |
| Total | 701 | 297 | 543 | 77.5% | 177 | 32.6% | 456 | 84.0% |
Noteworthy events
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley announces retirement (April 2024)
On April 11, 2024, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley announced she would not seek a fourth 10-year term in 2025. At the time of her announcement, Bradley said, “I know I can do the job and do it well. I know I can win re-election, should I run. But, it's just time to pass the torch, bringing fresh perspectives to the court.”[39] Bradley last ran for re-election in 2015, defeating Jame Daley 58.1% to 41.9%.
The Washington Post's Patrick Marley wrote that the retirement "sets the stage for an intense race for control of the court two years after candidates, political parties and interest groups spent more than $50 million in the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history."[40]
While Wisconsin Supreme Court elections are officially nonpartisan, justices and candidates are considered to be liberal or conservative. The court’s 15-year conservative majority tightened in three elections preceding Bradley's announcement. The 2019 election resulted in conservatives gaining a 5-2 majority, and the 2020 election resulted in a 4-3 conservative majority. In the 2023 election, Janet Claire Protasiewicz defeated Daniel Kelly 55.4% to 44.4%, resulting in liberals gaining a 4-3 majority on the court.
Bradley was part of the court’s liberal majority, and her retirement created an opportunity in the 2025 election for conservatives to regain a 4-3 majority or for liberals to hold their majority. Conservatives will defend seats in 2026 and 2027, meaning if they do not win a majority in 2025, the next opportunity they have to do so would be the 2028 election.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 American Bar Association, "Judicial Selection: The Process of Choosing Judges," June 2008
- ↑ US Legal, "Limited Jurisdiction Law & Legal Definition," accessed December 17, 2015
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Limited Jurisdiction Courts—Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies for Action," accessed September 23, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Legal, "Court of last resort Definition," accessed August 25, 2013
- ↑ Penn Capital Star, "With three seats on the ballot, this year’s state Supreme Court race may be ‘a different animal’," March 3, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "Democrats expand majority on PA Supreme Court," November 7, 2023
- ↑ WESA, "Voters Give Dems Control Of Pennsylvania Supreme Court," November 3, 2015
- ↑ Spotlight PA, "Republicans have a chance to transform the Pa. Supreme Court this year," February 21, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Spotlight PA, "Pa. primary election 2025: The Commonwealth and Superior Court candidates advancing to November," May 20, 2025
- ↑ PoliticsPA, "Who’s Running For Statewide Court?" March 12, 2025
- ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Republicans are attempting to boot three Democratic justices from the Pa. Supreme Court — and for the first time, Dems are worried," May 11, 2025
- ↑ The Keystone, "Billionaire-backed group trying to flip control of PA Supreme Court," August 14, 2025
- ↑ Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, "RELEASE: DLCC Adds Majority-Deciding Wisconsin and Pennsylvania State Supreme Court Races to Target Map," February 25, 2025
- ↑ PoliticsPA, "DLCC Adds PA State Supreme Court Race to Target Map," accessed August 14, 2025
- ↑ New York Times, "Wisconsin Spring Election Results," accessed April 1, 2025
- ↑ Decision Desk HQ, "2025 Wisconsin General," accessed April 1, 2025
- ↑ Wisconsin Public Radio, "Crawford, Schimel set to square off in another high-profile Wisconsin Supreme Court race," January 8, 2025
- ↑ CBS News, "Susan Crawford, who represented Planned Parenthood, enters Wisconsin Supreme Court race," June 10, 2024
- ↑ WKOW-TV, "Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford announces campaign for Wisconsin Supreme Court," June 10, 2024
- ↑ Wisconsin Public Radio, "Dane County Judge Susan Crawford running for Wisconsin Supreme Court," June 10, 2024
- ↑ Associated Press, "Liberal Judge Susan Crawford enters race for Wisconsin Supreme Court with majority at stake," June 10, 2024
- ↑ Wisconsin Public Radio, "All 4 liberal justices back Crawford’s Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign," June 17, 2024
- ↑ Wisconsin Watch, "Another pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court election offers two familiar outcomes," January 6, 2025
- ↑ Dryden Wire, "Brad Schimel Announces Campaign For Wisconsin Supreme Court," November 30, 2023
- ↑ Brad Schimel 2025 campaign website, "About Brad," accessed January 7, 2025
- ↑ Dryden Wire, "Brad Schimel Announces Campaign For Wisconsin Supreme Court," November 30, 2023
- ↑ Brad Schimel 2025 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 11, 2025
- ↑ Associated Press, "Trump backs Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate in hotly contested race," March 21, 2025
- ↑ WisPolitics, "FRI REPORT: WisPolitics tally: Supreme Court race spending tops $100M, nearly doubling previous record," March 28, 2025
- ↑ Associated Press, "Billionaires Musk and Soros push Wisconsin Supreme Court race spending over $100M," April 4, 2025
- ↑ New York Times, "Rallying Anti-Musk Donors, Liberal Judge Raises $24 Million in Key Court Contest," March 24, 2025
- ↑ WisPolitics, "WisPolitics tally shows record $59 million dropped on Supreme Court race so far," March 12, 2025
- ↑ Washington Post, "Expensive court race will decide future of abortion in Wisconsin," April 2, 2023
- ↑ Associated Press, "Ad wars begin in closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court race," January 13, 2025
- ↑ The Hill, "Wisconsin tees up high-stakes Supreme Court race with partisan control on the line," November 24, 2024
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "What To Watch for in Pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court Race," June 17, 2024
- ↑ Bluesky, "The Downballot on February 25, 2025," accessed February 27, 2025
- ↑ Wisconsin Supreme Court, "Press Release," April 11, 2024
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Wisconsin Supreme Court liberal won’t run again, shaking up race for control," April 11, 2024
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