In some states that say they elect judges, governors choose them instead

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Bryna Godar, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Harry Isaiah Black, University of Wisconsin-Madison

(THE CONVERSATION) A Georgia Supreme Court incumbent has successfully fought off an election challenge from a former Democratic member of Congress. Justice Andrew Pinson, first appointed to the court by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022, won election to a six-year term on May 21, 2024. The nonpartisan race was dominated by challenger John Barrow’s attempt, as local newspaper The Atlanta Journal Constitution described it, to turn it into “a referendum on abortion rights.”

State supreme court races have become pivotal in current legal battles over issues including abortion, elections, education, the environment and LGBTQ rights. With more than 80 state supreme court seats up for election this year in 33 states, voters have the potential to shape the future of their states for years to come.

That is, if they actually get...