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Competitiveness in State Supreme Court Elections, 1946–2009

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  • Herbert M. Kritzer

Abstract

There has been much debate over changes in state supreme court elections. However, most of the research that debate refers to considers a relatively short timespan. This article reports an analysis of contestation and competitiveness in state supreme court elections for the entire post World War II period. The article considers both primary and general elections (other than retention elections). The central finding of the article is that outside the South there has been surprisingly little change, either in whether incumbents are challenged for reelection or in the competitiveness of the elections that are contested (looking separately at open‐seat elections and elections involving incumbents). The analysis suggests that the apparent increase in competitiveness (taken to include the question of whether an incumbent is challenged), at least through 2009, reflects factors other than changes in the nature of campaigns and expenditures on state supreme court elections; specifically, those changes largely result from the end of the one‐party South.

Suggested Citation

  • Herbert M. Kritzer, 2011. "Competitiveness in State Supreme Court Elections, 1946–2009," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(2), pages 237-259, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:empleg:v:8:y:2011:i:2:p:237-259
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-1461.2011.01208.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gregory A. Huber & Sanford C. Gordon, 2004. "Accountability and Coercion: Is Justice Blind when It Runs for Office?," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 48(2), pages 247-263, April.
    2. Hall, Melinda Gann, 2001. "State Supreme Courts in American Democracy: Probing the Myths of Judicial Reform," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 95(2), pages 315-330, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. James L. Gibson & Gregory A. Caldeira, 2013. "Judicial Impartiality, Campaign Contributions, and Recusals: Results from a National Survey," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(1), pages 76-103, March.
    2. Ash, Elliott & MacLeod, W. Bentley, 2021. "Reducing partisanship in judicial elections can improve judge quality: Evidence from U.S. state supreme courts," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).

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