State courts are quickly becoming a heated battleground for abortion and LGBT issues, with left-leaning groups announcing legal strategies focused on the state level and launching efforts to educate the public on their role in electing local judges.
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Early voting has begun in Wisconsin for the state’s High Court, and this election becomes the most important decision of 2023, with ramifications far beyond the Badger state, and into 2024.
Tested constitutionalist Daniel Kelly seeks to rejoin the state Supreme Court in Madison. Kelly is an unabashed conservative, but also a careful, balanced, and restrained jurist who does not legislate from the bench or engage in partisan power grabs.
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The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state’s ban on name changes for people on the sex offender registry still applied to a transgender offender seeking to adopt a female name, according to The Associated Press.
The sex offender, referred to only as “Ella” in court records, was six feet and five inches tall and over 300 pounds at fifteen years old when he was convicted of sexually assaulting a disabled 14-year-old boy, according to the AP. Seven years later, the offender now identifies as a transgender woman and is seeking to legally adopt a female name and dodge the sex offender registry.
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The Minnesota Supreme Court plans to hear oral arguments Jan. 9 in a lawsuit challenging as unconstitutional state ballot laws that plaintiffs say shut out Republican candidates from the March 3, 2020, presidential primary.
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North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper announced the appointment of Judge Mark Davis to the state’s supreme court this week. “Right now I’m the most excited human being in the state of North Carolina to be able to join the Supreme Court,” said Judge Davis during the announcement at the Executive Mansion. “This is truly the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me, and I feel like I have been preparing for this moment for my entire professional career,” Davis said. “I know Judge Davis is dedicated to his work and to serving the people of North Carolina, and I know he will continue to serve with distinction as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court,” said Gov. Cooper. More on the announcement here: https://t.co/3gS1oKapfb pic.twitter.com/mPQGZyNhoC — Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) March 11, 2019 “I know Judge Davis is dedicated to his work and to serving the people of North Carolina, and I know he will continue to serve with distinction as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court,” said Governor Cooper in a statement. The appointment of Davis keeps the state supreme court overwhelmingly partisan with six Democrats and one Republican. The maintaining of a hyperpartisan court is a…
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North Carolina’s Supreme Court Chief Justice announced his resignation to become dean of Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Chief Justice Mark Martin’s resignation is effective February 28th and will begin his new role March 1, 2019. It has been the highest of honors to serve the people of North Carolina as their Chief Justice,” Martin stated in a press release. “I will forever cherish the memories of serving with so many amazing and capable people. It is now time to direct my focus to helping prepare the next generation of leaders.” “On behalf of the Regent University Board of Trustees, I welcome Chief Justice Martin to the Regent University School of Law,” said Phil Walker, Regent University Chairman of the Board in a press release by Regent University. “His career and legal abilities are extraordinary. I have known Chief Justice Martin for many years and know the Regent community will greatly benefit from this outstanding leader.” Chief Justice Martin is the 28th Chief Justice and has served as a judge in North Carolina for 26 years, over twenty of which were on the state’s supreme court. Martin, a Republican, has been a judicial ground breaker during that…
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A Democratic Supreme Court justice in the state of West Virginia said hours after she was impeached Tuesday that she was retiring, triggering a special election for her replacement and denying the Republican governor a chance to name her successor. The citizens of West Virginia now “will be afforded their constitutional right to elect my successor in November,” Justice Robin Davis said as she announced her departure at the state capital. Davis announced her resignation after being impeached for committing wrongful acts, including spending $500,000 on office renovations. The House of Delegates voted Monday to impeach all four remaining justices over spending issues. They will be brought to trial in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, as is the House. Davis said their impeachment was a travesty of justice and a brazen attempt by one branch of government to seize control over another. Justice Menis Ketchum retired earlier this year. Any of the three remaining justices who are considering resigning must do so by the Tuesday deadline in order for their replacements to be decided in a November special election. Gov. Jim Justice will appoint replacements who will serve until the election. All four justices were impeached for failing…
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by Kevin Daley Who presides over the impeachment trial of a state Supreme Court justice if the entire state Supreme Court is being impeached? It’s an absurd constitutional hypothetical West Virginians are left to grapple with, after the West Virginia House of Delegates Judiciary Committee drafted articles of impeachment against four justices on the state’s highest court. Five justices sit on the state Supreme Court in West Virginia. The state legislature has drafted articles of impeachment against Chief Justice Margaret Workman and Justices Robin Jean Davis, Beth Walker, and Allen Loughry. The court’s fifth justice, Menis Ketchum, retired in late July. Ketchum will plead guilty to two federal corruption charges on Aug. 29. Loughry was placed on unpaid administrative leave in June after a state commission lodged a 32-count complaint against him, alleging pervasive violations of the state ethics code. He has since been indicted in federal court for fraud, witness tampering, and making false statements to investigators. The remaining three justices — Workman, Davis, and Walker — face impeachment for wasting government resources and failing to effectively administer the state courts. All three spent large sums of taxpayer dollars on lavish improvements to their chambers in the state capital, which cumulatively totaled…
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