State supreme courts
How state supreme court justices are chosen
52 courts in 50 states, by selection method. Texas and Oklahoma have two courts each.
Partisan election 9Nonpartisan election 14Retention after appointment 17Appointment, no election 10Legislative election 2
Court facts checked November 4, 2026.
All 52 courts
| State | Court | Method | Seats | Term | Next election |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Supreme Court of Alabama | Partisan election | 9 | 6 years | Mar 7, 2028 2028 primary and presidential primary |
| Alaska | Alaska Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 5 | 10 years | Nov 7, 2028 Retention |
| Arizona | Arizona Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 7 | 6 years | Not confirmed |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 7 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| California | Supreme Court of California | Retention after appointment | 7 | 12 years | Nov 5, 2030 Retention |
| Colorado | Colorado Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 7 | 10 years | Not confirmed |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Supreme Court | Appointment, no election | 7 | 8 years | No elections |
| Delaware | Supreme Court of Delaware | Appointment, no election | 5 | 12 years | No elections |
| Florida | Supreme Court of Florida | Retention after appointment | 7 | 6 years | Nov 7, 2028 Retention |
| Georgia | Supreme Court of Georgia | Nonpartisan election | 9 | 6 years | Not confirmed |
| Hawaii | Supreme Court of Hawaii | Appointment, no election | 5 | 10 years | No elections |
| Idaho | Idaho Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 5 | 6 years | Not confirmed |
| Illinois | Illinois Supreme Court | Partisan election | 7 | 10 years | Nov 5, 2030 Retention or partisan election |
| Indiana | Indiana Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 5 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Iowa | Iowa Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 7 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| Kansas | Kansas Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 7 | 6 years | Nov 7, 2028 Retention |
| Kentucky | Supreme Court of Kentucky | Nonpartisan election | 7 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Supreme Court | Partisan election | 7 | 10 years | Not confirmed |
| Maine | Maine Supreme Judicial Court | Appointment, no election | 7 | 7 years | No elections |
| Maryland | Supreme Court of Maryland | Retention after appointment | 7 | 10 years | Not confirmed |
| Massachusetts | Supreme Judicial Court | Appointment, no election | 7 | Good behavior, retired at 70 | No elections |
| Michigan | Michigan Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 7 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 7 | 6 years | Not confirmed |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 9 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| Missouri | Supreme Court of Missouri | Retention after appointment | 7 | 12 years | Not confirmed |
| Montana | Montana Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 7 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 7 | 6 years | Not confirmed |
| Nevada | Supreme Court of Nevada | Nonpartisan election | 7 | 6 years | Not confirmed |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Supreme Court | Appointment, no election | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | No elections |
| New Jersey | Supreme Court of New Jersey | Appointment, no election | 7 | 7 years | No elections |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Supreme Court | Partisan election | 5 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| New York | New York Court of Appeals | Appointment, no election | 7 | 14 years | No elections |
| North Carolina | Supreme Court of North Carolina | Partisan election | 7 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 5 | 10 years | Nov 7, 2028 Election |
| Ohio | Supreme Court of Ohio | Partisan election | 7 | 6 years | Nov 7, 2028 Election |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 9 | 6 years | Nov 7, 2028 Retention |
| Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals | Retention after appointment | 5 | 6 years | Nov 7, 2028 Retention | |
| Oregon | Oregon Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 7 | 6 years | May 16, 2028 Nonpartisan nominating election at the primary |
| Pennsylvania | Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | Partisan election | 7 | 10 years | Nov 2, 2027 Municipal election (partisan contests or retention) |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Supreme Court | Appointment, no election | 5 | Good behavior | No elections |
| South Carolina | Supreme Court | Legislative election | 5 | 10 years | No elections |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 5 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 5 | 8 years | Not confirmed |
| Texas | Supreme Court of Texas | Partisan election | 9 | 6 years | Nov 7, 2028 Partisan general election |
| Court of Criminal Appeals | Partisan election | 9 | 6 years | Not confirmed | |
| Utah | Utah Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 7 | 10 years | Not confirmed |
| Vermont | Vermont Supreme Court | Appointment, no election | 5 | 6 years | No elections |
| Virginia | Supreme Court of Virginia | Legislative election | 7 | 12 years | No elections |
| Washington | Washington State Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 9 | 6 years | Nov 7, 2028 Nonpartisan election |
| West Virginia | Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia | Nonpartisan election | 5 | 12 years | Not confirmed |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Supreme Court | Nonpartisan election | 7 | 10 years | Apr 6, 2027 Nonpartisan spring election (April 2027) |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Supreme Court | Retention after appointment | 5 | 8 years | Nov 7, 2028 Retention |
Court facts checked November 4, 2026; election dates checked November 4, 2026.
About the data
Facts are from state constitutions, statutes, court websites and election offices, checked November 4, 2026.
Each state page lists its sources.
Counts are courts, not states.
Sources
- State constitutions, statutes, court and election office pages, listed on each state page. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Election dates: official state calendars and election offices. Checked November 4, 2026.
- MIT Election Data and Science Lab, precinct returns 2018-2024. CC0 1.0. GitHub
- MIT Election Data and Science Lab, precinct returns 2016. MIT License. GitHub
- Wikipedia contributors, State supreme court (cross-check only). CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia