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State supreme court elections, 2029
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As of research conducted in 2025, one state—Wisconsin—is holding state supreme court elections in 2029. One seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is on the ballot. The number of seats up for election may change due to resignations and appointments. Of these seats:
- 1 is held by a nonpartisan justice
- 0 are held by Republican justices
- 0 are held by Democratic justices
On this page, you will find:
- Information on the different methods of electing judges
- A list of state supreme court elections in 2029
- Information on previous state supreme court elections
- Information on historical win rates of incumbent state supreme court justices
Click here for information on state intermediate appellate court elections. Click here for information on local trial court 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 2029. This list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionState 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 2029, there are no partisan state supreme court elections.
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 2029, 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 2029, there are no retention elections for state supreme court seats.
Previous elections
2028
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2028
As of research conducted in 2025, thirty states are holding state supreme court elections in 2028. In total, 73 of the 344 seats on state supreme courts are up for election. The number of seats up for election may change due to resignations and appointments.
2027
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2027
As of research conducted in 2023, two states—Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—are holding state supreme court elections in 2027. Two seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and one seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court are on the ballot. The number of seats up for election may change due to resignations and appointments.
2026
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2026
As of research conducted in 2025, thirty-three states are holding state supreme court elections in 2026. In total, 62 of the 344 seats on state supreme courts are up for election. The number of seats up for election may change due to resignations and appointments.
2025
- See also: State supreme court elections, 2025
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.
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
In 2022, 29 states held elections for 84 state supreme court seats. Republicans gained three seats, and a Democrat 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.
Click [show] at the right to view more past election results. | |
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2019
In 2019, three states—Kentucky, Louisiana, and Wisconsin—held elections for three supreme court justices. Kentucky and Wisconsin held nonpartisan elections, while Louisiana held partisan elections. 2018
In 2018, 32 states held state supreme court elections for 68 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
In 2017, two states held supreme court elections for four seats. 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 2008-2024. 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% |
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