Democrats are excluded from power on the Supreme Court and are still catching up with Republicans in federal justice, hoping for a political advantage in a less visible but still important arena: state courts.
After transferring the Arizona governor's seat from Republican to Democrat last year, Gov. Katie Hobbs has appointed 15 judges to the state's high court. In crimson Kansas, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly appointed two appellate court justices and one state Supreme Court judge over a five-year period.
The governor of almost every state has the power to appoint judges. As the Democratic Governors Association launches a multimillion-dollar campaign called the Power to Appoint Fund, those responsibilities will take center stage in this year's political race. The goal of this campaign is the key gubernatorial race.
The ** has a target of $5 million and will focus specifically on two open seats in 2024: New Hampshire (where the governor has the power to appoint state court judges) and North Carolina (where the state elects judges); Due to the state's age limit regulations, the next governor will appoint at least one state Supreme Court judge.
"Before we in Kansas had our own abortion amendment issue, to be honest, I didn't know much about court appointments other than the bar group," Governor Kelly said in an interview. "But since the decision in the Dobbs case, and our decision in Kansas, it's been a front-line concern. I think people are now more aware than ever of the impact of the courts on their daily lives. ”
Referring to the Supreme Court's rightward shift and the important statewide court battle, Meghan Meehan-Draper, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said voters needed to be reminded that "Democratic governors must appoint justices."