In this month’s state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and swearings in of justices from May 1, 2024, to May 31, 2024. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts.
Announced retirements:
On May 21, 2024, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) announced that Chief Justice Richard Robinson would resign from the state’s highest court later this year. Robinson was appointed to be an associate justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court in December 2013 by then-Governor Dan Malloy (D). In 2018, Malloy appointed him to the chief justiceship, where he has served since. Robinson’s resignation gives Lamont his fourth opportunity to nominate a justice to the state’s highest court.
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson resigned from his seat on May 10, 2024. He was appointed by then-Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) in October 2004. He was required to run for election in 2006 to retain his seat and won after running uncontested. He won re-election in 2012 and 2018. Anderson retired due to reaching Minnesota’s mandatory retirement age of 70.
Candidates nominated/appointed:
No new candidates were announced for any current state supreme court vacancies.
Nominees confirmed:
No nominees were confirmed for any current state supreme court vacancies.
Justices sworn in:
Sarah Hennesy was sworn into office on May 11, 2024. She was appointed by Governor Tim Walz (D) to replace Barry Anderson. Hennesy is the fourth justice Walz has appointed to the seven-member court. Following her swearing-in, all seven justices on the Minnesota Supreme Court have been appointed by Democratic governors.
Other news:
Two of the three candidates selected to be nominated to succeed South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty withdrew their nominations to the state’s highest court. In early April, the South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) released a list of six candidates that had passed its first round of scrutiny. The JMSC conducted public hearings for each candidate and narrowed its list to three potential nominees on May 9, 2024.
Appeals Court Judge Blake Hewitt withdrew from the list of candidates for the state’s highest court on May 30, 2024, and Circuit Court Judge Jocelyn Newman withdrew her name on May 28, 2024. This left Appeals Court Judge Letitia Verdin as the sole remaining candidate, and the unofficial candidate to succeed Beatty when he steps down on July 31, 2024. The South Carolina General Assembly is scheduled to vote on her nomination on June 5, 2024.
Additional reading: