5 state Supreme Court races to watch on Tuesday

Voters in half of the country will decide who sits on the bench of their state’s highest court next Tuesday.  

State Supreme Court races are on ballot in two dozen states this November, with partisan, nonpartisan and retention contests determining which candidates win seats or remain on the bench of courts that often have the final word on interpreting state law in consequential matters like abortion and redistricting. 

“State Supreme Court is a super important level of the ballot for us because so much of people’s rights and liberties is now determined at the state level,” said Deirdre Schifeling, the chief political and advocacy officer for the ACLU, which has spent about $5.5 million on voter outreach efforts in Michigan, Montana and North Carolina.  

And while the ideological balance of power isn’t up for grabs in most states, experts say what happens next week could set the stage for shifts in 2028 and beyond.  

Here are five races to watch on election night: 

In Michigan, six candidates are running for two seats on the state’s Supreme Court.  

Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh is seeking another eight-year term, and Justice Noah Hood is seeking his first full term. Hood was appointed to the high court by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) after former Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement retired in 2025.  

All of the candidates will be placed on the same ballot, which also includes contenders Michael Warren, Casandra Morse-Bills, Thomas Howe and Jody White in an open election where the top two vote-getters will be declared winners.  

The Wolverine State uses a unique method to determine which names make it on the general election ballot. Political parties select candidates during nominating conventions, but the elections are technically nonpartisan, so those party labels are not listed.  

It’s no secret which way each candidate leans politically.  

Cavanagh and Hood are Democratic Party nominees, while lower court judges Morse-Bills and Warren were nominated by Republicans.  

Howe and White were both nominated by the U.S. Taxpayers Party, the state affiliate of the ultraconservative Constitution Party. The Michigan Advance reports that neither is licensed to practice law in Michigan, a requirement for any judge or justice in the state court system.  

Recent election cycles have helped shore up liberals’ 6-1 advantage on the Michigan Supreme Court, with only one Republican-backed justice currently on the bench.  

Both Democratic incumbents losing their reelection bids would tighten those margins but keep the majority intact. 

A Democratic appointee in Missouri is running to keep his seat on the state’s high court — but he has no opponent.  

Justice Paul Wilson, who was appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court bench in 2012, is facing a retention vote. That’s an up-and-down vote to decide........

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