Tag: state supreme court
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Ballotpedia study: population distribution mirrors state supreme court partisanship
Ballotpedia recently published a new study on state supreme courts entitled “Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship”. Among the findings, the study revealed trends in the distribution of the population across the country that closely tracked with the breakdown of partisan control over state supreme courts. The correlation between population distribution and court partisanship was closest among…
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Georgia Supreme Court Justice Keith Blackwell retires
On Nov. 18, Georgia Supreme Court Justice Keith Blackwell retired, citing family obligations and a desire to return to private practice. Gov. Nathan Deal (R) appointed Blackwell to the court in June 2012 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of George H. Carley. Before serving on the supreme court, Blackwell served on the…
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New York Court of Appeals Justice Eugene Fahey announces retirement
On November 10, 2020, State of New York Court of Appeals Justice Eugene Fahey announced his retirement from the court, scheduled for December 31, 2021, when he reaches the court’s mandatory retirement age of 70 years old. Justice Fahey joined the State of New York Court of Appeals in 2015. He was appointed to the…
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California governor confirms Jenkins to state supreme court
The California State Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed Martin Jenkins to the California Supreme Court on November 10, 2020. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed Jenkins on October 5. Jenkins succeeds Justice Ming Chin, who retired on August 31. Jenkins is Newsom’s first appointee to the seven-member supreme court. Under California law, state supreme court justices…
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Washington Supreme Court approves sheriff recall petition for circulation
The Washington Supreme Court ruled on November 6, 2020, that a recall effort seeking to remove Jerry Hatcher from his position as Benton County Sheriff could begin circulating petitions. Walla Walla County Superior Court Judge Scott Wolfram initially approved the recall petition on August 20, but Hatcher filed an appeal against that decision with the…
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Arkansas Supreme Court clarifies deference prohibition
The Arkansas Supreme Court on October 29 clarified in American Honda Motor Co. v. Walther that state courts should not exercise deference to state agency interpretations of statutes. Instead, the court held that Arkansas state courts should review agency statutory interpretations de novo—without deference to a previous interpretation of the underlying statute in question. The court’s decision…
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Massachusetts governor nominates Budd to be chief justice of state supreme court
On October 28, 2020, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) announced the nomination of Associate Justice Kimberly S. Budd as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s chief justice. If confirmed, Budd would replace Ralph D. Gants, who died on September 14, 2020. Budd would also be the first Black woman to serve as chief justice in the court’s…
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Hawaii governor appoints Eddins to state supreme court
Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) appointed Todd Eddins to the Hawaii Supreme Court on October 23, 2020. Pending confirmation from the Hawaii State Senate, Eddins will succeed Justice Richard W. Pollack, who retired on June 30, 2020, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 years. Eddins is Ige’s first nominee to the five-member supreme…
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Illinois Supreme Court decides case allowing suspended police officers to seek backpay
On October 22, 2020, the Illinois Supreme Court decided Goral v. Dart, a case on police officers’ right to due process to claim backpay. The case concerned a decision regarding the legitimacy of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s Merit Board. The Illinois Supreme Court upheld an appellate court’s decision which determined that officers suspended without…
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One North Dakota Supreme Court seat up for nonpartisan election in November
The seat held by North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Jon Jay Jensen will be up for a nonpartisan election on November 3, 2020. Jensen is seeking re-election unopposed. Gov. Doug Burgum (R) appointed Jensen in 2017. Despite the normal method of judicial selection being a nonpartisan election, all but one justice of the North Dakota…