A trial court judge who was removed from office on July 31 for ethics violations was one of the top-two vote getters in the August 7 primary election for her seat and will advance to the general election. According to the supreme court, her removal extends only through the end of the year.

Conservative candidates for the state senate defeated moderates in at least seven Republican primary contests, making it likely that conservatives will hold 27 of 32 GOP seats in the 40-member senate in 2013-14. One of their key policy priorities is expected to be moving from merit selection of appellate judges to gubernatorial appointment with senate confirmation.

A trial judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to remove three supreme court justices from the November retention ballot, ruling that the two Florida voters who filed the suit lack standing. With the assistance of the Southeast Legal Foundation, the voters claimed that the justices violated state law by using court employees to assist in filing campaign documents.

In a state where judicial elections are nonpartisan in the sense that party affiliation does not appear on the ballot, the state Republican party endorsed three supreme court candidates, including two incumbents.

The commission on judicial performance released evaluation reports for 90 judges standing for retention in November. Only one judge—a county court judge in El Paso County—received a “do not retain” recommendation.

The state AFL-CIO endorsed the Republican candidate for chief justice, Roy Moore. Though the organization usually backs Democratic candidates, its president said that Moore has a record of “treating the average person fairly in court.” Moore has also received $55,000 in contributions to date from plaintiff attorneys.

Three justices of the supreme court of appeals recused themselves from hearing a constitutional challenge to the distribution of matching funds under the state’s pilot public financing program for supreme court races.

Justice Michael Gableman recused himself from considering charges of ethical violations against fellow justice David Prosser, making him the fourth justice of the seven-member court to do so and leaving the court without a quorum to hear the case.

The outcome of a supreme court race has led some to question the role of ethnicity in judicial elections. Incumbent justice Steve Gonzalez’s opponent did not raise money or campaign but still garnered 42 percent of the vote. Observers note that voters who lack information about judicial candidates often cast their votes based on race, sex, and other factors unrelated to qualifications.

From two nominees submitted by the Alaska Judicial Council, Governor Parnell appointed Anchorage attorney Peter Maassen to fill the vacancy created by Justice Morgan Christen’s appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers is proud to note that David Thomson, one of our first Fellows, is being honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award at the University of Denver. The award recognizes excellence in teaching and emphasizes the degree to which Thomson's teaching has constructively influenced his students. This honor will be conferred at the University of Denver's Fall Convocation in October 2012.

The Iowa State Bar Association has released its biennial survey of practicing attorneys on judges and justices up for retention this November. The survey showed high approval ratings for all Iowa judges and justices, and the Bar Association plans to “urge voters this fall to retain all judges.”