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State comparison

How does each state choose its judges?

The names of each state’s courts and how judges on its highest court reach the bench.

Facts checked November 5, 2026. Counts cover the 50 states and include only what we could verify. Labels are simplified, so read the state’s own page and source before relying on a cell.

How high-court judges reach the bench

  • 9 nonpartisan election
  • 7 gubernatorial appointment
  • 6 merit selection with retention
  • 2 partisan election
  • 2 legislative election
  • 1 mixed: merit selection with retention for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; superior court judges vary by county
  • 1 mixed: governor appoints appeals judges and voters retain them; superior court judges win nonpartisan elections
  • 1 mixed: governor nominates from a commission and the General Assembly appoints
  • 1 mixed: merit selection with retention for appellate courts, election for circuit and county judges
  • 1 mixed: governor appoints from a judicial selection commission list with senate consent; ten-year terms renewed through the commission
  • 1 mixed: Supreme Court justices elected statewide to six-year terms
  • 1 mixed: partisan election, then retention election
  • 1 mixed: merit selection with retention for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals
  • 1 mixed: Supreme Court by commission appointment and retention; district judges elected unless a district adopts commission selection
  • 1 mixed: all judges elected; Supreme Court nominees chosen in closed party primaries, other judges in open primaries
  • 1 mixed: governor appoints appellate judges with Senate consent, then voters decide on retention; circuit court judges are appointed to fill vacancies and then elected
  • 1 mixed: governor appoints Supreme Court and appeals judges, and voters decide on retention every 12 years
  • 1 mixed: governor nominates and the Senate confirms to fill vacancies, and voters then decide whether to keep the incumbent or elect a successor
  • 1 mixed: elected by voters to eight-year terms (ballot type set by law)
  • 1 mixed: justices and judges are elected; the governor fills vacancies from a judicial nominating committee list
  • 1 mixed: first elected in a partisan election, then nonpartisan retention votes
  • 1 mixed: judges are elected; the governor fills vacancies from three nominees of a judicial selection commission
  • 1 mixed: Court of Appeals judges are appointed by the governor with Senate consent; Supreme Court justices are elected
  • 1 mixed: elected by voters statewide, by appellate district, or by county
  • 1 mixed: appellate judges by merit selection with retention; district judges by nonpartisan election
  • 1 mixed: elected for a first term, then retention votes
  • 1 mixed: circuit judges by nonpartisan election; Supreme Court justices appointed, then retention votes
  • 1 mixed: appellate judges appointed, then retention votes; trial judges elected
  • 1 mixed: elected by voters; the Legislature decides whether the ballot is partisan

State courts
StateHighest courtIntermediate appeals courtMain trial courtHow high-court judges are chosen
AlaskaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceSuperior Court sourcemerit selection with retention source
AlabamaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Civil Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcepartisan election source
ArkansasSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcenonpartisan election source
ArizonaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceSuperior Court sourcemixed: merit selection with retention for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; superior court judges vary by county source
CaliforniaSupreme Court sourceCourts of Appeal sourceSuperior Court sourcemixed: governor appoints appeals judges and voters retain them; superior court judges win nonpartisan elections source
ColoradoSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Court sourcemerit selection with retention source
ConnecticutSupreme Court sourceAppellate Court sourceSuperior Court sourcemixed: governor nominates from a commission and the General Assembly appoints source
District of ColumbiaCourt of Appeals sourceNone sourceSuperior Court sourcemixed: nominating commission, then presidential appointment with Senate confirmation source
DelawareSupreme Court sourceNone sourceSuperior Court sourcegubernatorial appointment source
FloridaSupreme Court of Florida sourceDistrict Courts of Appeal sourceCircuit Courts sourcemixed: merit selection with retention for appellate courts, election for circuit and county judges source
GeorgiaSupreme Court of Georgia sourceCourt of Appeals of Georgia sourceSuperior Court sourcenonpartisan election source
HawaiiSupreme Court sourceIntermediate Court of Appeals sourceCircuit Courts sourcemixed: governor appoints from a judicial selection commission list with senate consent; ten-year terms renewed through the commission source
IowaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Court sourcemerit selection with retention source
IdahoSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Courts sourcemixed: Supreme Court justices elected statewide to six-year terms source
IllinoisSupreme Court sourceAppellate Court sourceCircuit Court sourcemixed: partisan election, then retention election source
IndianaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceCircuit and superior courts sourcemixed: merit selection with retention for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals source
KansasSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Courts sourcemixed: Supreme Court by commission appointment and retention; district judges elected unless a district adopts commission selection source
KentuckySupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcenonpartisan election source
LouisianaLouisiana Supreme Court sourceCourts of Appeal (five circuits) sourceDistrict Courts sourcemixed: all judges elected; Supreme Court nominees chosen in closed party primaries, other judges in open primaries source
MassachusettsSupreme Judicial Court sourceAppeals Court sourceSuperior Court Department of the Trial Court sourcegubernatorial appointment source
MarylandSupreme Court of Maryland sourceAppellate Court of Maryland sourceCircuit Courts sourcemixed: governor appoints appellate judges with Senate consent, then voters decide on retention; circuit court judges are appointed to fill vacancies and then elected source
MaineSupreme Judicial Court sourceNone sourceSuperior Court sourcegubernatorial appointment source
MichiganMichigan Supreme Court sourceMichigan Court of Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcenonpartisan election source
MinnesotaMinnesota Supreme Court sourceMinnesota Court of Appeals sourceDistrict Court sourcenonpartisan election source
MissouriSupreme Court of Missouri sourceMissouri Court of Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcemixed: governor appoints Supreme Court and appeals judges, and voters decide on retention every 12 years source
MississippiMississippi Supreme Court sourceMississippi Court of Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcenonpartisan election source
MontanaMontana Supreme Court sourceNone sourceDistrict Courts sourcemixed: governor nominates and the Senate confirms to fill vacancies, and voters then decide whether to keep the incumbent or elect a successor source
North CarolinaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceSuperior Court sourcemixed: elected by voters to eight-year terms (ballot type set by law) source
North DakotaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Court sourcemixed: justices and judges are elected; the governor fills vacancies from a judicial nominating committee list source
NebraskaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Courts sourcemerit selection with retention source
New HampshireSupreme Court sourceNone sourceSuperior Court sourcegubernatorial appointment source
New JerseySupreme Court sourceAppellate Division of Superior Court sourceSuperior Court sourcegubernatorial appointment source
New MexicoSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Courts sourcemixed: first elected in a partisan election, then nonpartisan retention votes source
NevadaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Courts sourcemixed: judges are elected; the governor fills vacancies from three nominees of a judicial selection commission source
New YorkCourt of Appeals sourceAppellate Division of the Supreme Court sourceSupreme Court sourcemixed: Court of Appeals judges are appointed by the governor with Senate consent; Supreme Court justices are elected source
OhioSupreme Court sourceCourts of Appeals sourceCourts of Common Pleas sourcemixed: elected by voters statewide, by appellate district, or by county source
OklahomaSupreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals sourceCourt of Civil Appeals sourceDistrict Court sourcemixed: appellate judges by merit selection with retention; district judges by nonpartisan election source
OregonSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcenonpartisan election source
PennsylvaniaSupreme Court sourceSuperior Court and Commonwealth Court sourceCourt of Common Pleas sourcemixed: elected for a first term, then retention votes source
Rhode IslandSupreme Court sourceNone sourceSuperior Court sourcegubernatorial appointment source
South CarolinaSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcelegislative election source
South DakotaSupreme Court sourceNone sourceCircuit Court sourcemixed: circuit judges by nonpartisan election; Supreme Court justices appointed, then retention votes source
TennesseeSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals sourceCircuit Court and Chancery Court sourcemixed: appellate judges appointed, then retention votes; trial judges elected source
TexasSupreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals sourceCourts of Appeals sourceDistrict Court sourcepartisan election source
UtahSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceDistrict Court sourcemerit selection with retention source
VirginiaSupreme Court of Virginia sourceCourt of Appeals of Virginia sourceCircuit courts sourcelegislative election source
VermontSupreme Court sourceNone sourceSuperior Court sourcegubernatorial appointment source
WashingtonSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceSuperior courts sourcenonpartisan election source
WisconsinSupreme Court sourceCourt of Appeals sourceCircuit Court sourcenonpartisan election source
West VirginiaSupreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia sourceIntermediate Court of Appeals sourceCircuit courts sourcemixed: elected by voters; the Legislature decides whether the ballot is partisan source
WyomingSupreme Court sourceNone sourceDistrict courts sourcemerit selection with retention source