State supreme court elections, 2025
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Three states — Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — held 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 were 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.
Neither party gained or lost control of a state court. However, Democrats expanded the number of justices they had on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. No incumbents running for re-election lost their races.
Of the states where a supreme court justice was up for election, one (33%) held a partisan election, one (33%) held a nonpartisan election, and one (33%) held a retention election.
In states where governors appoint justices, one state, New Jersey, had a governor's election in 2025 that could have affected the makeup of the state's supreme court.
In states where the state legislature selects state supreme court nominees, one state, held Virginia held elections that could have affected the makeup of the state's supreme court.
Ballotpedia identified two state supreme court races as noteworthy. These were races, which were viewed as having the potential to affect the balance of power in these states. These included elections in Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
We used three methods to determine a supreme court's partisan balance:
- Determined how many justices were registered members of a political party;
- The partisan affiliation of the governor who appointed each justice; or
- If those methods didn't work, we surveyed media coverage of the court and its decisions to determine partisan leanings.
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.
- 2025 election resultsThe results of the 2025 elections
- Offices up for election in 2025A list of elections and candidates on the ballot
- Election methodsA description of the different election methods
- Analysis of state electionsAn analysis of different types of elections across the country
- 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
2025 election results
The table below displays the partisan balance of all state supreme courts up for election in 2025.
The map below highlights each state by the partisan control of its state supreme court once candidates elected in the 2025 elections are sworn in.
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 held an election for a state supreme court seat in 2025.
= 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) — were retained in three elections held 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."[1]
The state court had a 5-2 Democratic majority.[2] At the time of the election, the court had been controlled by Democrats since 2015, when Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht won election to their seats.[3]
Pennsylvania used partisan elections to select a justice for an initial 10-year term, and used a retention election to determine whether to keep them. If a justice was retained, they would serve another 10-year term. At the time of the election, Pennsylvania was 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 were limited in their ability to campaign.[4] Both the Democratic and Republican parties said they would be involved in this race. The Republican State Leadership Committee ran 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."[5] The Democratic National Committee announced on September 25 that they would invest six figures in the final weeks of the race, and Democratic politicians including Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D) campaigned in favor of retention.[6][7]
Since retention elections were established in 1968, only one Pennsylvania justice, Russell Nigro (D) in 2005, was not retained.[8] Since 2020, in 102 elections, 100 justices (98%) 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.[9][10] 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.[11]
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).[12] Crawford said she ran to "protect the basic rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites under our constitution."[13] 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."[14] 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."[15] 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.[16][17]
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."[18] Schimel’s website said he "dedicated his career to defending victims, supporting law enforcement, and ensuring that criminals are held accountable."[19] 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.”[20] President Donald Trump (R) and the Wisconsin Professional Police Association received Schimel.[21][22]
According to WisPolitics, the candidates and satellite groups spent more than $100 million on the race.[23][24][25]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.[26][27][28] 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.[29] 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."[30]
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.
Analysis of state elections
State legislative elections
- See also: State legislative elections, 2025
As of November 25th, 2025, Republicans controlled 55.29% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.53%. Republicans held a majority in 57 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions. One chamber (Minnesota House of Representatives) was split evenly between both parties.
| Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber | 
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 Other
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Vacant | ||||
| State senates | 829 | 1,118 | 6 | 20 | ||||
| State houses | 2,386 | 2,966 | 20 | 41 | ||||
| Total: | 3,215
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4,084
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26
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61 | ||||
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2025 state legislative elections.
- Ballotpedia's Top 10 Elections to Watch, 2025
- Annual Competitiveness Report
- State legislative special elections
- Primary election competitiveness in state government, 2025
- Impact of term limits
- Trifecta vulnerability in the 2025 elections
- Data on incumbents defeated in 2025
- Characteristics of incumbents defeated in 2025
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors in the 2025 elections
- Contested primaries
- Open seats
- Incumbents in contested primaries
- Major party competition
- Unconstested incumbents
State executive elections
- See also: State executive official elections, 2025
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2025 state executive elections.
- Ballotpedia's Top 10 Elections to Watch, 2025
- Annual Competitiveness Report
- State executive official elections overview
- Primary election competitiveness in state government, 2025
- Gubernatorial elections
- Secretary of State elections
- Attorney General elections
- Historical and potential changes in trifectas
- State government trifectas
- Endorsements of school board members by state executive officeholders and candidates, 2025
- Impact of term limits on state executive elections
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors
State judicial elections
- See also: State judicial elections, 2025
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2025 state judicial elections.
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. | |
|---|---|
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 92% of the time from 2008 to 2025. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 100% |
| 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 | 628 | 583 | 45 | 92% |
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."[31] 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."[32]
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.[33]
Election coverage by office
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State legislatures
State ballot measures
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Municipal government
School boards
Recalls
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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Pennsylvania Code, "CHAPTER 33. CODE OF JUDICIAL CONDUCT," accessed November 15, 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
- ↑ Politico, "Pennsylvania’s high-stakes retention election," October 14, 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
- ↑ MPR News, "Democratic-backed Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, cementing liberal majority," April 1, 2025
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