State of Justice: March 2026 Vacancies and Elections Updates
Vacancies
Shortlist forwarded to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green for chief justice vacancy
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) announced the five finalists the Judicial Selection Committee sent him to fill the chief justice vacancy left by Mark Recktenwald. Recktenwald stepped down from the supreme court on September 25, 2025. The committee twice extended the deadline due to a lack of applicants. The finalists are current Interim Chief Justice Sabrina McKenna, Justice Vladimir Devens, Lance Collins, a private practice attorney, David Forman, a professor of law at William S. Richardson Law School, and Benjamin Lowenthal, a private practice attorney. Green has 30 days from the date he received the nominees, March 16, to make his nomination. Green’s nominee will be subject to confirmation hearings in the state Senate.
Kansas Supreme Court Justice Marla Luckert to step down at the end of the month
Justice Marla Luckert will retire from the Kansas Supreme Court on March 28. Luckert served on the supreme court since 2003. Luckert’s retirement gives Gov. Laura Kelly (D) the opportunity to nominate a fifth justice to the seven-member court. Kelly must choose her nominee from a list provided by the state’s judicial nominating commission. Kansas’ commission is comprised of a majority of members selected by the state bar. Kelly’s appointee must serve for one year and then stand for a retention election.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills makes nomination for Supreme Judicial Court
Gov. Janet Mills (D) nominated Christopher Taub to replace retired Justice Andrew Horton. At the time of his nomination, Taub was a chief deputy attorney general. He has worked at the attorney general’s office since 1999 and served as chief deputy since 2021. In his role at the attorney general’s office, Taub was involved in defending the state’s policy of allowing transgender athletes to participate in school sports. Taub will face hearings before the state Senate Judiciary Committee and must be confirmed by the state Senate to serve on the court.
Kyle Hixson confirmed by Tennessee Legislature
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s (R) nominee to the state supreme court, Kyle Hixson, was confirmed by the state legislature to replace Justice Holly Kirby. Kirby will officially step down from the court in June. Lee nominated Hixson in January 2026. Hixson is a judge on the court of appeals and previously served as a judge for the 6th Judicial District. Prior to his judicial service, Hixson worked as an assistant district attorney, assistant attorney general, and deputy district attorney general, as well as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Hixson must stand for a retention election in the next general election at least 30 days following his taking office.
First Black woman chief justice sworn onto the Supreme Court of Virginia
On March 2, Chief Justice Cleo Powell was officially sworn into office as chief justice and is the first Black woman to serve in that role. Powell previously served as justice on the court since 2011 and was elected by the General Assembly to fill the vacancy left by Chief Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn’s retirement. Virginia is one of two states that hold legislative elections to fill vacancies on its highest court.
Justice Annette Ziegler announces retirement from Wisconsin Supreme Court
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler will retire from the court when her 10-year term ends in 2027 and will not seek another term. Ziegler was first elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2017. Ziegler is the second conservative not to seek re-election on the court, creating an open contest to succeed her. Retired Justice Rebecca Bradley announced she will step down from the court when her term ends, creating an open contest this April between Judge Chris Taylor and Judge Maria Lazar.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson makes appointment to supreme court
Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) appointed Theo Angelis to replace Washington Supreme Court Justice Barbara Madsen, who will step down from the court on April 3. Angelis will fill the remainder of Madsen’s term, which expires in 2029. To remain on the court, Angelis will need to stand for election in 2028. Angelis is currently a partner at K&L Gates, focused on intellectual property litigation, and has spent his career in private practice. The ACLU has also recognized him for his representation of minors in immigration proceedings. Angelis is also the first Middle Eastern justice to serve on the court.
Elections
Justice Nicholas Bronni elected to Justice Cody Hiland’s former seat on Arkansas Supreme Court
Justice Nicholas Bronni, first appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court position 6, defeated attorney John Adams for position 3 on the state supreme court. Despite the races being officially non-partisan, Bronni ran his election as a self-described conservative and was endorsed by the state Republican party. Adams also previously ran for elected office as a Democrat, so partisan tensions ran high leading up to the election, despite neither candidate appearing on the ballot with a partisan designation. Bronni was originally appointed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) to position 6 but was barred by the state constitution from running for election to that seat. However, Sanders had another appointee, Justice Cody Hiland, who was also barred from running for election. So, the two justices circumvented the state constitution and ran for election to each other’s seats.
Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Megan Cavanaugh and Justice Noah Hood will seek election to court
Chief Justice Megan Cavanaugh announced she will seek re-election for another term on the court this November. Cavanaugh was first elected in 2018 and has served as chief justice since 2025. Justice Noah Hood joined the court in 2025 following his appointment by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) to the court. Hood will be running for his first full eight-year term on the court. While the November general election for supreme court is nonpartisan, candidates are officially nominated at state political party conventions. Both Cavanaugh and Hood are Democrats who currently hold a 6-1 majority on the court.
One seat on Texas Court of Criminal Appeals headed to a primary runoff, other high court November contests set
Texas elects its high court justices in partisan elections, with the state having two courts of last resort, the supreme court and the court of criminal appeals. Four seats are up for election on the Texas Supreme Court this fall, with only two seats having competitive Democrat primary elections. Democrats are running primary elections to determine who will appear on the November ballot for chief justice and place 7 on the state supreme court. In the Democratic primary for chief justice, Justice Maggie Ellis on the 3rd court of appeals defeated former court of appeals Justice Cory Carlyle. Ellis will face off against current Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock, a Republican. For place 7, 11th district court Judge Kristen Hawkins defeated former 1st court of appeals Justice Gordon Goodman. Hawkins will face Republican Justice Kyle Hawkins. For place 2, 3rd court of appeals Justice Chari Kelly, a Democrat, will challenge Justice James Sullivan, a Republican. For place 8, Justice Brett Busby, a Republican, will have to defend his seat against Democratic challenger 3rd court of appeals Justice Gisela Triana.
Three seats are up for election this November on the court of criminal appeals, and two seats had competitive Republican primary elections. There was a four-way Republican primary election for place 3. Alison Fox and Thomas Smith will face off in a runoff election to determine who will appear on the ballot this November. Fox is a staff attorney with the court of criminal appeals, and Smith is an assistant attorney general with Texas Attorney General’s office. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Okey Anyiam, a criminal defense attorney. For place 9, John Messinger defeated criminal district court no. 1 Judge Jenifer Balido in the Republican primary. Messinger, an assistant state prosecuting attorney, will face Democrat Holly Taylor, a criminal and civil appeals attorney. Incumbent Judge Kevin Yeary, a Republican, will defend his seat on place 4 against Democratic challenger criminal district court Judge Audra Riley.
April Wisconsin Supreme Court Election has lower spending compared to 2025
Despite last year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election between now-Justice Susan Crawford and former Wisconsin attorney general Brad Schimel reaching $24.7 million, there has just been $638,300 spent so far in this year’s contest between Judge Chris Taylor and Judge Maria Lazar. Last year, Elon Musk got personally involved in the election, handing out checks to select voters at rallies. So far, two progressive-leaning groups are leading in spending, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund is leading independent expenditures and has spent $238,888. Second is Wisco Project PAC, spending $230,250 so far. Between Wisco Project PAC and the third group, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin Political Fund, there is a large spending gap, with the Planned Parenthood organization spending $56,213. According to the report as of March 18, the majority of spending is pro-Taylor.
