The Supreme Court of the United States has received attention from around the world in recent weeks with its seismic decision to overturn both Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that protected reproductive rights and guaranteed the right to abortion, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which had previously reinforced the Roe verdict.
But while the actions of the federal Supreme Court are monopolizing judicial coverage in the national media, the decisions of state Supreme Courts should not be overlooked, as they often have a big impact on the lives of their citizens. The issue of abortion is now left to be decided by the respective states.
Elections for state Supreme Courts can have widespread ramifications on the application of federal mandates and decisions that affect the rights and privileges of not only those living in a given state, but potentially all Americans, as state rulings can reverse or supersede one another. The political makeup of some courts reflects the political leanings of their state, while others trend in surprisingly different directions, with conservative states having liberal courts and vice versa.
With a spate of upcoming elections, the balance of some state court makeups might tip, and with issues such as abortion, climate change, and electoral policy and procedure, this could impact the lives of Americans for decades to come.
Stacker ranked the states with Supreme Court elections this year by partisan leanings of their respective supreme courts using campaign finance data from a 2014 study, and identified some of the stakes of the open seats in each race. Partisan lean was established by analyzing campaign finance data where available, both as donations to the judges’ campaigns and donations made by the judges. Contributions were analyzed for persons from 1979 through 2012. Some seats are filled by appointment, others by the legislature, and others by election.
We also took a look at some of the most important rulings the courts have made in recent years, reflecting topics likely to be at stake in each state as the next round of elections gets underway. Continue reading for a look at the Supreme Courts of each state, and what issues will animate the court as its makeup changes—or not—in upcoming elections.
