State supreme court vacancy count for September 2026

In this month's state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and the swearings-in of justices from Sept. 2 to Oct. 2, 2026. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts.

Justices sworn into office:

Four justices were sworn into office between Sept. 2 and Oct. 2, 2026.

In Utah, Matthew Bell and Michael Menssen were sworn into the state's highest court on Sept. 17 and Sept. 24, respectively. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) appointed Bell and Menssen to the Utah Supreme Court on Aug. 28 to fill the vacancies created by the retirements of Justice Diana Hagen and Chief Justice Matthew Durrant. Bell and Menssen are Cox's sixth and seventh appointees to the seven-member supreme court. They will serve for at least three years before standing for a yes-no retention election. If retained, they will serve subsequent terms of 10 years.
In Minnesota, Theodora Gaïtas was sworn into the chief justice position on the state's highest court on Oct. 1. Gaïtas, who has served on the Minnesota Supreme Court since 2024, was appointed to the chief justice position by Gov. Tim Walz (D) on May 19. She replaced Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, who retired on Sept. 30 after reaching the state's mandatory retirement age of 70. Gaïtas will serve in the position for at least one year before a nonpartisan election is held for a full six-year term.
Also on Oct. 1, Reynaldo Aligada was sworn into the Minnesota Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by Justice Theodora Gaïtas' elevation to the chief justice position. Aligada, a district court judge since 2019, was appointed by Walz on May 19. Aligada is Walz's seventh appointee to the seven-member supreme court. He will serve in the position for at least one year before a nonpartisan election is held for a full six-year term.

Candidates nominated:

No candidates were nominated in September 2026.

Candidates appointed and nominees confirmed:

During September 2026, two candidates were confirmed to the supreme court in one state.

On Sept. 16, the Utah Senate confirmed the nominations of Matthew Bell and Michael Menssen to the state's highest court. Bell had served as a district court judge since 2017, and Menssen most recently served as an attorney at the Salt Lake City branch of Mayer Brown LLP, an international law firm. Gov. Spencer Cox (R) appointed Bell and Menssen to the Utah Supreme Court on Aug. 28 to fill the vacancies created by the retirements of Justice Diana Hagen and Chief Justice Matthew Durrant. Hagen and Durrant retired on May 8 and Aug. 31, respectively.

Justices sworn out and upcoming judicial retirements:

During September 2026, three justices were sworn out of office.

On Sept. 15, Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald retired from the New Hampshire Supreme Court. MacDonald was first appointed to the court by Gov. Chris Sununu (R) in January 2021 to succeed former Chief Justice Robert Lynn. MacDonald's replacement will be selected through direct gubernatorial appointment. The appointee will mark Gov. Kelly Ayotte's (R) third nominee to the five-member supreme court. Justices may serve on the court until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 70.
In Minnesota, Chief Justice Natalie Hudson retired on Sept. 30 after reaching the state's mandatory retirement age of 70. Hudson was initially appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court by Gov. Mark Dayton (D) in August 2015 to fill the vacancy created by Justice Alan Page's retirement. She was later appointed to the chief justice position by Gov. Tim Walz (D) in August 2023 to succeed Justice Lorie Gildea. Hudson's successor, Theodora Gaïtas, was sworn into the chief justice position on the day after her retirement.
On Oct. 1, Theodora Gaïtas vacated her seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court after being elevated to the chief justice position. Gaïtas was initially appointed to the supreme court by Walz in April 2024 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Margaret Chutich. Gaïtas' successor, district court judge Reynaldo Aligada, was sworn into the Minnesota Supreme Court on the same day.

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