State supreme court elections, 2025
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Three states — Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — are holding state supreme court elections in 2025. One seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court, three seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and one seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court are on the ballot. Of the five seats up for election:
- Three are held by Democratic justices.
- One was held by a Republican justice.
- One was held by a nonpartisan justice.
As of July 14, 2025, two states, Louisiana and Wisconsin, held their elections. No state supreme courts have shifted partisan control. Additionally, Cade Cole (R) was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court unopposed on February 3, 2025, replacing Justice James Genovese (R).[1] In Wisconsin, though the election was officially nonpartisan, media outlets reported that Wisconsin's Supreme Court maintained a liberal majority after Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel on April 1.[2] Crawford was endorsed by the Democratic Party and Schimel was supported by the Republican Party.[3]
Most states do not hold elections in odd-numbered years. Pennsylvania holds judicial elections exclusively in odd-numbered years, and Wisconsin holds judicial elections every year. Louisiana and Washington may also hold judicial elections in both even and odd years. In some years, no justice's term will end, and therefore, no election will be held.
Click here for information on state intermediate appellate court elections. Click here for information on local trial court elections.
- On the ballotA list of elections and candidates on the ballot
- Election methodsA description of the different election methods
- Previous electionsA summary of elections in past cycles
- Incumbent win ratesAn analysis of incumbent win rates in state supreme court elections
- Noteworthy eventsNoteworthy events related to these elections
On the ballot
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."[4]
The state court has a 5-2 Democratic majority.[5] The court has been Democratic-controlled since 2015, when Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht won election to their seats.[6] 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.[7][8][9] 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."[10]
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.[8] 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."[11] The Democratic National Committee announced on September 25 that they would invest six figures in the final weeks of the race, and chair Ken Martin said in a statement, "The stakes couldn’t be higher in these judicial retention races, especially in the run-up to critical races across the Commonwealth in 2026 and winning back the White House in 2028."[12]
Since retention elections were established in 1968, only one Pennsylvania justice, Russell Nigro (D) in 2005, has not been retained.[13] 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.[14][15] 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.[16]
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).[17] Crawford said she ran to "protect the basic rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites under our constitution."[18] 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."[19] 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."[20] 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.[21][22]
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."[23] Schimel’s website said he "dedicated his career to defending victims, supporting law enforcement, and ensuring that criminals are held accountable."[24] 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.”[25] President Donald Trump (R) and the Wisconsin Professional Police Association received Schimel.[26][27]
According to WisPolitics, the candidates and satellite groups spent more than $100 million on the race.[28][29][30]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.[31][32][33] 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.[34] 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."[35]
State supreme court election methods
- See also: Judicial selection in the states
Thirty-eight states hold elections at some point in the selection process for state supreme court justices, using either partisan elections, nonpartisan elections, or retention elections. In the other 12 states, justices are appointed by governors or the state legislature. To learn more about those other selection methods, click here.
Partisan election of judges
In a partisan election, candidates may be nominated by political parties or declare their party affiliations upon filing to stand in the election. Primaries are typically held to narrow down the candidates to one per party before the general election; some states hold primaries in which candidates of all parties compete with each other, and the top vote-getters advance regardless of party.
In 2025, there is one partisan state supreme court election.
Nonpartisan election of judges
In a nonpartisan election, some states allow candidates to declare their party affiliations, while some states prohibit them from doing so. If primaries are held, they do not narrow the candidates to one per party; instead, they typically narrow the candidates to two for each seat, regardless of party.
In Michigan, nonpartisan general elections are combined with a partisan nominating process to create the Michigan method. To read more about this selection method, click here.
In 2025, there is one nonpartisan state supreme court election.
Retention election of judges
In a retention election, an incumbent judge does not face an opponent. A question is placed on the ballot asking whether each judge shall be retained for another term, and voters choose "yes" or "no." Judges must receive majority "yes" votes in order to remain in their seats.
In 2025, there are three retention elections for state supreme court seats.
Previous elections
2024
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2024
Thirty-three states held state supreme court elections in 2024. In total, 82 of the 344 seats on state supreme courts were up for election.
Republicans lost one state court, Democrats did not gain or lose control of a state court, and one court became a divided court.
2023
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2023
Two states — Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — held state supreme court elections in 2023. In total, two of the 344 seats on state supreme courts were up for election.
Republicans lost one state court, Democrats gained control of one state court.
2022
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2022
Thirty states held elections for 84 state supreme court seats in 2022. In total, 84 of the 344 seats on state supreme courts were up for election.
Republicans gained three seats, and Democrats gained one seat. As a result, Republicans gained a majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court, and Democrats gained no new majorities.
Two incumbents were defeated. In Illinois, Mary O'Brien (D) defeated Michael Burke (R). In North Carolina, Trey Allen (R) defeated Sam Ervin IV (D).
Republicans gained one state court, Democrats lost control of one state court.
2021
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2021
One state — Pennsylvania — held a state supreme court election in 2021. In total, one of the 344 seats on state supreme courts was up for election.
No states saw partisan control of their courts change hands as a result of the elections.
2020
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2020
Thirty-five states held state supreme court elections in 2020. In total, 78 of the nation’s 344 state supreme court seats were up for election. At 23%, this was the greatest number of seats up for election in recent years.
Democrats gained control of one state court and Republicans lost control of one state court.
Click [show] at the right to view more past election results. | |
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2019
Three states — Kentucky, Louisiana, and Wisconsin — held elections for supreme court justices in 2019. In total, three of 344 seats were up for election. Kentucky and Wisconsin held nonpartisan elections, while Louisiana held partisan elections. No states saw partisan control of their courts change hands as a result of the elections. 2018
Thirty two states held elections for 68 state supreme court seats.' Twenty seats were up for partisan election and included one Democratic justice and 19 Republican justices. Democrats gained five seats in those partisan elections, leaving them with six justices and Republicans with 14. 2017
Two states held supreme court elections for four state supreme court seats in 2017. The only seat up for contested election in 2017 was in Pennsylvania, where sitting Justice Sallie Mundy (R) defeated Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff (D). In Wisconsin, the other race that could have produced a contested election saw Republican-affiliated Justice Annette Ziegler run unopposed in a nonpartisan election. Two other judges in Pennsylvania — Chief Justice Thomas Saylor (R) and Justice Debra Todd (D) — were retained. 2016
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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% |
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."[36] Bradley last ran for re-election in 2015, defeating James Daley 58.1% to 41.9%.
The Washington Post's Patrick Marley wrote before the election 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."[37]
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. Conservative justices are up for re-election in 2026 and 2027, meaning they cannot win a majority on the court until 2028.
In the April 1, 2025, election, the liberal candidate Susan Crawford defeated the conservative candidate Brad Schimel 55% to 45%, meaning liberals kept a majority on the court.[2]
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See also
- Judicial selection in the states
- Past state supreme court elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
- Past state judicial elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
- Past election analysis: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana Illuminator, "Cade Cole becomes Louisiana’s newest Supreme Court justice without opposition," February 3, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wisconsin Examiner, "Wisconsin voters elect Susan Crawford in rebuke of Trump, Musk," April 1, 2025
- ↑ MPR News, "Democratic-backed Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, cementing liberal majority," April 1, 2025
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 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 Party, "DNC Announces Initial Six-Figure Investment in Pennsylvania Democratic Party Ahead of Critical Election to Retain PA Supreme Court Justices," September 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
- ↑ 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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