State judicial elections, 2017
| 2017 State Judicial Elections | |
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| Overview | |
| Supreme Courts Overview | |
| Louisiana | |
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Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin each held supreme court or court of appeals elections in 2017. A total of 21 state-level judges' terms were scheduled to end in 2017 or early 2018, and their seats were up for either competitive election or retention.
Click here for information on local trial court elections.
Overview
| 2017 State Judicial Elections | |
|---|---|
| State | 2017 Elections |
| Louisiana | 5 seats |
| Pennsylvania | 10 seats |
| Washington | 2 seats |
| Wisconsin | 4 seats |
In Washington and Wisconsin, judicial elections are nonpartisan. In a nonpartisan election, some states require 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 Louisiana, elections are partisan in that candidates' party affiliations are listed, but Louisiana does not hold primaries to narrow down the candidates to one from each party. Candidates participate in what is sometimes called a "jungle primary," in which all candidates from all parties are on the ballot. If a candidate is elected with more than 50 percent of the vote, he or she is elected. If not, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters during the general election.
Pennsylvania holds both partisan elections and retention elections. 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 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 more than 50 percent "yes" votes in order to remain in their seats.
To learn more about judicial selection methods, click here.
State by state
Louisiana
- Main article: Louisiana judicial elections, 2017
Five seats on the Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal were up for election in 2017.
- Three Republican candidates filed to run for the open seat on the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. This seat was previously occupied by James Genovese, who was elected in 2016 to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Candyce Perret and Susan Theall were the top two finishers in the March 25 primary election, but neither received more than 50 percent of the vote; Perret defeated Theall in a general election on April 29.
- Only one candidate, Allison H. Penzato, filed to run for the open seat on the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. This seat was previously occupied by retired Judge Ernest Drake. Because Penzato was the only candidate who filed to run, she was elected unopposed at the filing deadline and did not appear on the ballot.
- Two Democratic candidates filed to run for an open seat on the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. This seat was previously occupied by retired Judge Dennis Bagneris. Paula Brown defeated Tiffany Gautier Chase for the seat in the primary; this seat did not appear on the general election (or runoff) ballot.
- Two other seats were up for election on October 14, 2017. A runoff election, if necessary, took place on November 18, 2017.
- An additional open seat on the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal was formerly held by Judge Paul Bonin, who was elected to a local judgeship in 2016. Democrats Tiffany Gautier Chase and Tracey Flemings-Davillier filed to run for the seat and faced off in the October 14 election.
- Two candidates filed to run for an open seat on the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal. The seat was formerly held by retired Judge John Larry Lolley. Republican Sharon Marchman and Independent James Stephens faced off in the October 14 election.
Pennsylvania
- Main article: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2017
Pennsylvania was the only state holding judicial elections in 2017 that uses partisan elections to choose its state-level judges. Pennsylvania has one court of last resort and two intermediate appellate courts and holds elections for these courts every two years in odd-numbered years.
- On the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Justice Sallie Mundy (R) defeated Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff (D) in a competitive partisan election for a seat on the court. Justice Mundy is a 2016 appointee who filed to stand in a partisan election in order to serve for a full term. Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff (D) is a judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Chief Justice Thomas Saylor (R) and Justice Debra Todd (D) stood for retention in order to serve additional terms and were retained. Because the court was 5-2 majority Democratic going into the 2017 elections, the partisan race for Mundy's seat could not change partisan control of the court.
- On the Pennsylvania Superior Court, four seats were up for election. Judge Jacqueline Shogan was retained and Judges Maria McLaughlin, Deborah A. Kunselman, Mary P. Murray, and Carolyn H. Nichols were elected. Ten candidates, including incumbent Judge H. Geoffrey Moulton Jr. (D), filed to run for the four seats on the superior court. The five Republicans and five Democrats competed in a partisan primary on May 16. Four Republicans, four Democrats, and one Green Party candidate faced off in the November general election.
- On the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Judges Ellen H. Ceisler and Christine Fizzano Cannon were elected. Eight candidates, including incumbent Judge Joseph M. Cosgrove (D), filed to run for the two seats on the commonwealth court. Six Democrats faced one another in the partisan primary on May 16; two advanced to the November general election. Because only two Republicans filed to run for the seat, both advanced through the primary to compete in the November general election.
Washington
- Main article: Washington judicial elections, 2017
Two seats on the Washington Court of Appeals were up for nonpartisan election on November 7, 2017.
- Incumbent Judge Michael Spearman, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire in 2010, defeated Washington attorney Nathan Choi for the Position 2 seat. Spearman will serve a six-year term.
- Incumbent Judge David S. Mann, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in 2016, ran unopposed for the Position 5 seat. He was elected and will serve the remainder of his predecessor's unexpired term, which expires in 2021.
Wisconsin
- Main article: Wisconsin judicial elections, 2017
One seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and three seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were up for election in 2017. Only one candidate filed to run for each of the four seats; therefore, all four candidates were unopposed and were elected at the general election on April 4, 2017.
- Justice Annette Ziegler of the Wisconsin Supreme Court ran unopposed and was re-elected.
- Judges William Brash and Brian Hagedorn of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ran unopposed for their respective seats and were re-elected.
- Judge Paul Higginbotham of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals declined to file for re-election; Judge Michael R. Fitzpatrick filed to run for Higginbotham's seat. Fitzpatrick ran unopposed and was elected.
Local trial court elections
Ballotpedia provides coverage for judicial selection in all 50 states. Six states held regular elections for judges in general and limited jurisdiction trial courts in 2017.
The states with regular elections in 2017 were Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin. Connecticut also held special elections for probate court judges in 2017. Ballotpedia also covered certain municipal jurisdiction trial court elections in Ohio.
In 2016, Ballotpedia covered local judicial elections across 39 states. In total, 3,723 seats were up for election across general and limited jurisdiction trial courts. Incumbents ran for re-election in 3,070 (82.5 percent) of those races, and were defeated by challengers 69 (2.2 percent) times. In 2,644 races (71.0 percent), candidates ran unopposed.
See also
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