Author: Luke Seeley
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Five Oklahoma justices serving on courts of last resort face retention elections
Oklahoma is one of two states with two courts of last resort. The Oklahoma Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the state for civil matters while the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for criminal matters. The Oklahoma Supreme Court is composed of nine justices serving six-year…
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Arizona Supreme Court suspends certain time requirements in response to COVID-19
The Administrative Office of the Arizona Supreme Court issued a directive on Tuesday, March 24th, extending time limits for court-related deadlines. Administrative Director of the Courts David K. Byers issued Administrative Directive No. 2020-03 as a response to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Chief Justice Robert Brutinel gave Byers the authority to suspend or alter time limits…
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Rhode Island Supreme Court selection of justices
The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Paul Suttell. The selection of supreme court justices begins with the Judicial Nominating Commission. The commission is composed of nine members. Five of the members must be attorneys. Various elected officials must…
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South Carolina Supreme Court judicial selection
The five justices of the South Carolina supreme court are selected by the state legislature and serve 10-year terms. South Carolina and Virginia are the only two states to use some form of legislative selection when choosing supreme court justices. The South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission screens and selects candidates for judgeships then submits…
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Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) has appointed all seven justices on New York’s court of last resort
A court of last resort is the highest judicial body within a jurisdiction’s court system. It is a court with the highest appellate authority, meaning that its rulings are not subject to further review by another court. A court of last resort is often, but not always, referred to as a supreme court. New York…
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Arkansas Supreme Court seat up for election on March 3rd
The term of one Arkansas Supreme Court justice, Josephine Hart, will expire on December 31, 2020. Justice Hart did not file for re-election. The seat is up for nonpartisan election on March 3, 2020, and a runoff election is scheduled for November 3, 2020. Hart was elected to this position on May 22, 2012. Morgan…
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Florida Supreme Court has one seat up for retention and two vacant
Two of the seven seats on the Florida Supreme Court are currently vacant. The seats were held by Robert Luck and Barbara Lagoa and will be filled by the current governor, Ron DeSantis (R), through assisted gubernatorial appointment. Under the assisted gubernatorial appointment method, the Governor of Florida chooses from a list of three to…