State supreme court vacancy count for February 2025

In this month’s state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and the swearing-in of justices from February 1 to February 28, 2025. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts.

Announced retirements:

Two chief justices announced their intentions to retire later this year.

Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement (R) announced on February 19, 2025, that she will retire this year. In her announcement, she did not list an official resignation date but stated that she would step down by April 30, 2025. Her term was scheduled to end in December 2026. Her resignation will give Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) her second opportunity to appoint a justice to the state’s highest court. Currently, there are five Democrats and two Republicans on the Michigan Supreme Court. Clement’s successor will serve the remainder of her term and can run for re-election when the seat is up in 2026.

Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs announced on February 25, 2025, that he would retire on March 31, 2025. Boggs was originally appointed by former Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2016 as an associate justice. In 2022, he was elected to serve as the chief justice for a term that would have ended in 2026. In Georgia, along with 22 other states, justices hold a chamber vote to elect the chief justice of the court. Traditionally, the judge with the highest seniority has been elected to serve as chief justice. On February 27, 2025, Justice Nels Peterson, the longest-serving justice on the court, was unanimously elected to be the next chief justice, following Boggs’ resignation.

Candidates nominated, appointed, and confirmed:

During February 2025, one justice was nominated to a state supreme court. In Maine, Governor Janet Mills (D) named Julia Lipez to the state’s highest court in a February 28 announcement. Lipez’s nomination to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court will require confirmation from the Maine State Senate. Lipez has served on the Maine Superior Court since 2022. Before her judicial experience, she served as the Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine from 2011 until 2022. In 2024, former President Joe Biden (D) nominated Lipez to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Her nomination passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2024, but she was not confirmed before the 118th Congress adjourned, causing her nomination to be returned to the president.

Justices sworn in:

Two justices were sworn into office in February 2025.

In Arizona, Maria Elena Cruz was sworn into the Arizona Supreme Court on February 3, 2025. Cruz replaced Robert Brutinel who retired in October 2024. Cruz is Gov. Katie Hobbs’ (D) first nominee to the state’s highest court. Cruz joins the court as the sole Democratic appointee; five justices were initially appointed by former Gov. Doug Ducey (R), and Justice Ann Timmer was appointed by former Gov. Jan Brewer (R).

In Nebraska, Jason Bergevin was sworn into the Nebraska Supreme Court on February 14, 2025. Before his swearing-in, Bergevin was a judge on the Nebraska Fifth District Court, a position he held since 2022. Bergevin replaces Jeffrey Funke, who ascended to the chief justice position in November 2024. Following Bergevin’s swearing-in, only one justice, Lindsey Miller-Lerman, was initially appointed by a Democratic governor to the seven-member court; a Republican governor initially appointed the remainder.

Other news:

The Louisiana Supreme Court filing deadline for the upcoming 2025 special election closed on January 31, 2025. Only one candidate, Cade Cole (R), qualified to appear on the ballot for the primary on March 29, 2025, leading to the cancellation of the election. Louisiana uses a majority-vote electoral system. To learn more about majority-vote systems, click here. As of February 28, 2025, Cole’s swearing-in had not been scheduled.

Additional reading:

Editor’s note: this post was updated to reflect Julia Lipez’s nomination.