Tag: State courts
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Balmer wins re-election to the Oregon Supreme Court
Thomas Balmer won re-election to the Oregon Supreme Court, Position 1, on May 19. He defeated challenger Van Pounds. According to unofficial results, Balmer received 71.5% of the vote to Pounds’ 28.1%. In Oregon, candidates in nonpartisan primaries can win an election outright if they receive over 50% of the vote in the primary. Balmer,…
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Minnesota Gov Tim Walz (D) appoints Gordon Moore to state Supreme Court
On May 15, 2020 Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced District Court Justice Gordon Moore as his first appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Justice David Lillehaug intends to resign in July 2020, and Justice Moore will take his seat on the bench. Lillehaug has served on the Minnesota Supreme Court since 2013, and announced that…
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Georgia Supreme Court upholds canceled election, appointment of Blackwell’s successor
Georgia Supreme Court Justice Keith Blackwell’s seat was expected to be up for nonpartisan election on June 9, 2020. Blackwell announced in February that he is retiring on November 18. At that time, the state supreme court announced that Governor Brian Kemp (R) would appoint Blackwell’s replacement. The appointment was challenged in court, and the state supreme court…
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One South Dakota Supreme Court justice faces a retention election in November
One South Dakota Supreme Court justice, Steven Jensen, will face a retention election on November 3, 2020. He was appointed in 2017 by Governor Dennis Daugaard (R). Currently, every justice on the court was appointed by a Republican governor. The governor appoints the five justices of the supreme court through a hybrid nominating commission where…
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Candidate filing period for state-level races ends in Washington state
On May 15, the statewide filing deadline passed to run for elected office in Washington state. Candidates filed for the following state-level offices: State Executive Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Commissioner of Public Lands Treasurer Auditor Commissioner of Insurance State Legislative Washington State Senate (25 seats) Washington House…
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Van Pounds Challenges Incumbent Justice Thomas Balmer for Position 1 on the Oregon Supreme Court
Primaries are taking place for three positions on the Oregon Supreme Court on May 19, 2020. The Position 1 primary is the only contested primary, between current Justice Thomas Balmer and Van Pounds. If a justice wins over fifty percent of the vote in the primary election, then he secures a seat on the supreme…
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Voters to decide state executive, legislative, and judicial primaries in Oregon
The statewide primary election for Oregon is on May 19, 2020. The filing deadline to run passed on March 10. Candidates are running in elections for the following offices: • Secretary of State • Treasurer • Attorney General • 16 seats in the Oregon State Senate • All 60 seats in the Oregon House of…
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State supreme court strikes down Wisconsin’s stay-at-home order
On May 13, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in 4-3 ruling, struck down the state’s stay-at-home order. The court found that Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm overstepped her authority when she extended the state’s stay-at-home order through May 26 on behalf of Gov. Tony Evers (D). This marks the first instance of a…
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Alaska Supreme Court rules Gov. Mike Dunleavy recall can proceed
The Alaska Supreme Court on May 8 affirmed a superior court ruling that the recall effort against Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) can move forward. In November 2019, Attorney General Kevin Clarkson (R) determined that the recall failed to meet any of the grounds for recall. In Alaska, a recall petition has to meet one of…
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One Kansas Supreme Court justice faces retention election in November
One Kansas Supreme Court justice, Eric Rosen, will face a retention election on November 3, 2020. He was appointed by a Democratic governor. Currently, two justices on the court were appointed by a Republican governor while four were appointed by a Democratic governor. The governor appoints the seven justices of the supreme court through a…