In addition to the obvious presidential and congressional conflicts — and their obvious implications for the U.S. Supreme Court — the outcome of several key races will determine the composition of state supreme courts, which could impact crucial issues like gerrymandering and abortion rights.
Michigan and Ohio could be the most important because there is partisan control of these courts. Heading into Tuesday, Democrats have a 4-3 majority in Michigan, while Republicans have a 4-3 majority in Ohio. Underscoring the national significance of the races, former President Barack Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder, has endorsed Democratic candidates in both Michigan and Ohio.
There are two races in Michigan where the contests are technically nonpartisan, but political parties nominate the candidates. One pits Republican Party-backed Judge Patrick William O’Grady against Democratic-backed incumbent Judge Kyra Harris Bolden, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. In the other, to fill the seat of a retiring Republican-backed judge, University of Michigan law professor Kimberly Ann Thomas is the Democratic nominee against Republican state Rep. Andrew Fink, who has criticized Whitmer’s policies.
There are six candidates running for three seats on the Republican-controlled Ohio court. Republican Judge Megan Shanahan is running against Democratic Judge Michael P. Donnelly, and Democratic Judge Lisa Forbes is running against Republican Judge Dan Hawkins for GOP Judge Joseph Deters’ seat. Deters, a former prosecutor who was appointed to a vacant seat by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, is challenging incumbent Democratic Judge Melody Stewart. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that, “Had Deters run for his appointed seat, he would have had to run again for statewide office in two years when the unexpired term expired.” The race against Stewart is for a full six-year term.
Other judicial seats are up for grabs across the country, even if those races won’t topple the courts — such as in Arizona, where judges who voted in favor of the state’s abortion ban are on the ballot, and North Carolina, where the court 5-2. The right-wing majority could expand.
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This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
