State supreme court vacancy count for December 2025

By

Ellie Mikus

In this month's state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and the swearing-in of justices from Dec. 1 to Dec. 30, 2025. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts.

Justices sworn into office:

During December 2025, two justices were sworn into office.

  • In Utah, John Nielsen was sworn into the Utah Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2025, the same day his predecessor, John A. Pearce, was sworn out. Prior to his swearing-in, Nielsen served as a state district court judge. Nielsen is Gov. Spencer Cox's (R) third nominee to the five-member state supreme court.
  • In South Dakota, Robert Gusinsky was sworn into the South Dakota Supreme Court. Gusinsky served as a circuit court judge from 2013 until his appointment to the state supreme court in 2025. He replaced Justice Janine M. Kern, who retired on Dec. 8, 2025. Gusinsky—Gov. Larry Rhoden's (R) first supreme court appointment—will be eligible to run for retention in 2028.

Appointees named and nominees confirmed:

During December 2025, applicants for two state supreme court seats were announced, and finalists were announced for another vacancy.

  • In Hawaii, the Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission released a list of five candidates to succeed former Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, including three attorneys and two sitting associate justices of the Hawaii Supreme Court. Hawaii is one of 22 states with a designated chief justice position. If Gov. Joshua Green (D) appoints a sitting justice to the chief justiceship, that appointment would create an additional vacancy. As of Dec. 30, 2025, no appointment had been made.
  • In North Dakota, the North Dakota Judicial Nominating Committee released a list of 12 candidates who applied to succeed Justice Daniel Crothers, who will retire on Feb. 28, 2026. Applicants include the North Dakota Solicitor General, four state district court judges, a U.S. attorney, and six attorneys. The committee will interview candidates in early 2026 and send the list of finalists to Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R). As of Dec. 30, 2025, no successor had been appointed.
  • In Florida, the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission released a list of 10 applicants to fill the vacancy created by Charles Canady's departure. Following interviews, the commission announced six finalists on Dec. 30, 2025, including four state appellate court judges, a former interim attorney general, and a former appellate court judge. The finalists will be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who will make the final appointment. As of Dec. 30, 2025, no appointment had been made.

Candidates nominated:

No candidates were nominated or appointed to any state supreme court during December 2025.

Justices sworn out and upcoming judicial retirements:

During December 2025, six state supreme court justices were sworn out of office, and one announced an upcoming retirement.

  • In Utah, John A. Pearce resigned on Dec. 1, 2025, announcing plans to return to private practice and continue teaching at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law. Pearce was appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert (R) in 2015 and took office in 2016. His successor, John Nielsen, took office the same day Pearce resigned.
  • In South Dakota, Justice Janine M. Kern resigned on Dec. 8, 2025. She was appointed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) in 2014, took office in 2015, and was retained for a full eight-year term in 2018. Kern's successor, Robert Gusinsky, took office the same day she resigned.
  • In Mississippi, two justices resigned from their seats on the Mississippi Supreme Court. Robert Chamberlin resigned on Dec. 16, 2025, and Jimmy Maxwell resigned on Dec. 18, 2025, after both were nominated by President Donald Trump to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi on Sept. 2, 2025. Chamberlin was first elected in 2016 and won reelection after running unopposed in 2024. Maxwell was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant (R) in 2015, took office in 2016, and won reelection to his seat later that same year. As of Dec. 30, 2025, Gov. Tate Reeves (R) had not appointed successors for either seat.
  • Louisiana Justice William J. Crain resigned on Dec. 19, 2025, after receiving commission to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Crain, a Republican, was elected in a partisan special election in 2019. On Dec. 30, 2025, Gov. Jeff Landry (R) set a special election for Nov. 3, 2026, to fill the vacancy. As of Dec. 30, 2025, no candidates had announced their candidacy for the seat.
  • In Colorado, Melissa Hart resigned from the Colorado Supreme Court. Hart was appointed to the court by Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) in 2017 and retained in 2020 for a full 10-year term. Prior to joining the court, Hart was a professor at the University of Colorado Law School. As of Dec. 30, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis (D) had not announced a successor.
  • In Vermont, Justice William Cohen resigned on Dec. 27, 2025. He was initially appointed to the court by Gov. Phil Scott (R) in 2019 and retained by the Vermont General Assembly in 2023 for a term scheduled to end in 2029. As of Dec. 30, 2025, no successor had been appointed.

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