2008 State Supreme Court Elections

From Judgepedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Results of all contested 2008 state Supreme Court elections


Contents

There are 338 state Supreme Court justices in the United States. The paths taken by each justice to a seat on a state Supreme Court vary significantly from state-to-state.

* See election results.

Transitions in 2008

  • Twenty-seven state supreme court seats will be contested (in either partisan or non-partisan elections) on November 4, 2008.
  • Two state supreme court electoral contests were concluded in April and May.
  • Twenty justices face retention elections.
  • In other states, justices are being appointed by commissions, governors or state legislatures, depending on the rules in states with vacancies.
  • See Important dates and deadlines, 2008.

November 4th results

Election Incumbent Challenger(s) Result Elections board
Alabama Supreme Court elections Harold Frend See, Jr is retiring. Deborah Bell Paseur
Greg Shaw 		Republican Shaw (1,021,371) narrowly edged out Democratic Paseur (1,008,479) with all the precincts being certified on November 25, 2008. Alabama BOE
Kentucky Supreme Court elections Lisabeth Hughes Abramson Jim Shake Abramson has held off the challenge from Shake with 55% of the vote and will serve on the KY Supreme Court until 2014 Kentucky BOE
Louisiana Supreme Court elections Vacancy created by retirement of Pascal Calogero Greg Guidry and
James E. Kuhn 		Guidry defeated Kuhn 60% to 40% to win a seat on the Supreme Court Louisiana BOE
Michigan Supreme Court elections Clifford W. Taylor Diane Hathaway Hathaway (Democrat) defeats Taylor (Republican) 49.3% to 39.4% (Libertarian Roddis had 11.2%) Michigan BOE
Minnesota Supreme Court elections Paul H. Anderson Tim Tingelstad Paul Anderson (60.4%) defeated challenger Tim Tingelstad (39.2%) Minnesota BOE
Minnesota Supreme Court elections Lorie Skjerven Gildea Deborah Hedlund Gildea defeats Hedlund 55% to 45% Minnesota BOE
Mississippi Supreme Court elections
District 1, Place 3 		Chief Justice James Smith Ceola James
Jim Kitchens
 Kitchens defeats Smith 55% to 36% Mississippi BOE
Mississippi Supreme Court elections
District 2, Place 2 		Oliver E. Diaz, Jr. Randy "Bubba" Pierce Pierce defeats Diaz 58 to 42 percent Mississippi BOE
Mississippi Supreme Court elections
District 3, Place 1 		Ann Lamar Gene Barton Lamar defeats Barton 62% to 38% Mississippi BOE
Mississippi Supreme Court elections
District 3, Place 2 		Charles Easley David Chandler Chandler defeats Easley 67% to 33% Mississippi BOE
Montana Supreme Court elections Chief Justice Karla M. Gray is retiring Mike McGrath
Ron Waterman 		McGrath defeats Waterman 75% to 25% Montana BOE
Nevada Supreme Court elections Chief Justice Mark Gibbons Thomas Christensen Gibbons defeats Christensen 55% to 25% Nevada BOE
Nevada Supreme Court elections William Maupin is retiring Deborah Schumacher and
Mary "Kris" Pickering 		Pickering defeated Schumacher 42% to 39% Nevada BOE
Supreme Court of North Carolina Robert Edmunds Suzanne Reynolds Incumbent Edmunds wins with 51.04% North Carolina BOE, p. 41
Ohio Supreme Court elections Maureen O'Connor Joseph D. Russo O'Connor defeated Russo 67% to 33% Ohio BOE
Ohio Supreme Court elections Evelyn L. Stratton Peter M. Sikora Stratton declared the winner, beating Sikora 63% to 37% Ohio BOE
Texas Supreme Court elections Wallace B. Jefferson Jim Jordan Jefferson defeats Jordan 53% to 44% Texas BOE
Texas Supreme Court elections
Place 7 		J. Dale Wainwright Sam Houston Wainwright (3,926,015) with 51.1% defeats Houston (3,525,141) with 45.88% Texas BOE
Texas Supreme Court elections
Place 8 		Phil Johnson Linda Yanez Johnson defeats Yanez 52% to 45% Texas BOE
West Virginia Supreme Court elections "Spike" Maynard, Chief Justice (lost in the primary) Margaret Workman,
Elizabeth "Beth" Walker
Menis Ketchum 		Ketchum and Workman narrowly defeated Walker; Ketchum garnered 35% of the vote, with Workman and Walker trailing at 33% and 32%, respectively Ketchum, Workman win WV Supreme Court seats
West Virginia Supreme Court elections Incumbent Larry Starcher is not running Margaret Workman,
Elizabeth "Beth" Walker
Menis Ketchum
 Ketchum and Workman narrowly defeated Walker; Ketchum garnered 35% of the vote, with Workman and Walker trailing at 33% and 32%, respectively Ketchum, Workman win WV Supreme Court seats

Contested seats, election concluded

Court Incumbent Challenger Details Outcome
Idaho Supreme Court Joel Horton John Bradbury Idaho Supreme Court elections Voters chose Horton, May 27, 2008
Louisiana Supreme Court Catherine Kimball Jefferson Hughes Louisiana Supreme Court elections Voters chose Kimball by 65% on October 4
Wisconsin Supreme Court Butler Gableman Wisconsin Supreme Court election Voters chose Gableman, April 1, 2008
Washington Supreme Court Johnson Beecher, Vulliet Washington Supreme Court election Voters chose Johnson during the August 19, 2008 primary; he advances uncontested to the general election and will presumably serve another term
Washington Supreme Court Fairhurst Bond Washington Supreme Court election Voters chose Fairhurst during the August 19, 2008 primary; she advances uncontested to the general election and will presumably serve another term

State justices facing retention votes

Retention elections are frequently thought of in connection with the commission-selection, political appointment method of judicial selection. However, some states that choose state Supreme Court justices for their initial term in office using partisan or non-partisan elections, use a retention election for subsequent terms on the court.

Court Initial term Incumbent Results
Alaska Supreme Court Commission/political Robert L. Eastaugh Retained 11/4/08 (62.77%)[1]
Arizona Supreme Court Commission/political Scott Bales Retained 11/4/08 (77%)[2]
Connecticut Supreme Court Commission/political Christine Vertefeuille 11/4/2008
Florida Supreme Court Commission/political Charles T. Wells Retained 11/4/08 (72.7%)[3]
Indiana Supreme Court Commission/political Randall T. Shephard, Brent E. Dickson,
Theodore R. Boehm 		All three retained on 11/4/08[4]
Iowa Supreme Court Commission/political Mark S. Cady, Daryl L. Hecht, Brent R. Appel All three retained on 11/4/08[5]
Kansas Supreme Court Commission/political Eric Rosen, Lee A. Johnson All retained on 11/4/08[6]
Missouri Supreme Court Commission/political Patricia Breckenridge Retained on 11/4/08 (73%)[7]
New Mexico Supreme Court Partisan election Patricio Serna Retained 11/4/08 (75%)[8]
New Mexico Supreme Court Partisan election Charles Daniels Retained on 11/4/08[9]
State of New York Court of Appeals Commission/political Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick 11/4/2008
Oklahoma Supreme Court Commission/political John F. Reif Retained on 11/4/08 (63.2%)[10]
Oklahoma Supreme Court Commission/political Tom Colbert Retained on 11/4/08 (66.1%)[11]
Oklahoma Supreme Court Commission/political Joseph M. Watt Retained on 11/4/08 (63.7%)[12]
Tennessee Supreme Court Commission/political William Koch, Jr. 11/4/2008
Wyoming Supreme Court Commission/political William U. Hill 11/4/2008

State justices appointed in 2008

Court Appointer Why vacant? Nominees Outcome
Florida Supreme Court Governor Raoul G. Cantero is stepping down effective September 6. - -
Florida Supreme Court Governor Kenneth B. Bell is stepping down effective October 8. - -
Iowa Supreme Court Governor Jerry L. Larson retired May 17, 2008 Connie Alt, David Baker, Thomas Waterman Gov. Culver appointed David Baker on April 4, 2008
Circuit 7, Maryland Court of Appeals Governor Irma Raker has reached the mandatory retirement age. - -
Circuit 2, Maryland Court of Appeals Governor Vacancy - -
Minnesota Supreme Court Governor Chief Justice Russell Anderson retired in June Eric Magnuson Magnuson was appointed in March 2008 to replace Anderson in June
New York Court of Appeals Commission/political Chief Judge Judith Kaye reaches mandatory retirement this year -
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Governor Chief Justice Ralph Cappy retired January 7, 2008. James Gardner Colins Interim appointment is pending; appointee will fill vacancy until 2009

Supreme Court judges chosen by state legislature

Court Retiring judge New judge Date of election Date sworn in
South Carolina Supreme Court James E. Moore John Kittredge February 2008 June 18, 2008

State justices running in uncontested elections

Court Election notes Justice
Arkansas Supreme Court Non-partisan Jim Hannah
Arkansas Supreme Court Non-partisan Paul E. Danielson
Georgia Supreme Court Non-partisan Robert Benham
Georgia Supreme Court Non-partisan Harris Hines
Idaho Supreme Court Non-partisan Warren Jones
Illinois Supreme Court Judicial selection in Illinois Anne M. Burke
Kentucky Supreme Court Non-partisan Mary C. Noble
Montana Supreme Court Non-partisan Patricia O'Brien Cotter
North Dakota Supreme Court Non-partisan Mary Muehlen Maring
North Dakota Supreme Court Non-partisan Daniel J. Crothers
Oregon Supreme Court Non-partisan Thomas Balmer
Oregon Supreme Court Non-partisan Martha Lee Walters
Washington Supreme Court Non-partisan Debra Stephens

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Alaska Election results
  2. ↑ AZ Election results
  3. ↑ FL SOS website
  4. ↑ Voters Retain judges
  5. ↑ Judicial retention results
  6. ↑ Kansas election results
  7. ↑ MO SOS results
  8. ↑ NM Election results
  9. ↑ NM SOS results
  10. ↑ OK board of elections
  11. ↑ OK board of elections
  12. ↑ OK board of elections
v • d • e
Partisan and non-partisan elections of state Supreme Court justices
Retrieved from "http://judgepedia.org/index.php/2008_State_Supreme_Court_Elections"