Gavel Grab

Voters booted three Iowa Supreme Court justices in a retention election yesterday, after social conservatives and national groups mounted an ouster drive over a unanimous court decision permitting same-sex marriage. The outcome was a historic upset, according to a Des Moines Register article.

Illinois Justice Thomas Kilbride survived on the bench in a nasty retention election after facing fierce and well-funded opposition from groups supporting limits on jury awards in malpractice cases, the Chicago Tribune reported.

You can check out the votes on Justice at Stake’s  Election 2010 results page. Gavel Grab will provide detailed coverage through the day of these and other key judicial election races and ballot issues, including:

• NEVADA: Voters turned down a ballot initiative to replace competitive elections for judges with a system of merit selection appointments and retention elections, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal article.
• ALASKA: A late-hour TV ad campaign failed to unseat Supreme Court Justice Dana Fabe, according to incomplete returns reported by KTUU Channel 2.
• MICHIGAN: Control of the state Supreme Court swung back to Republicans with the defeat of Justice Alton Davis and election of Justice Robert Young and Judge Mary Beth Kelly, according to a Detroit Free Press article.
• OHIO: Voters replaced Chief Justice Eric Brown, a Democratic appointee, with fellow Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican, while Republican Justice Judith Lanzinger defeated Democrat Mary Jane Trapp, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.
• COLORADO: A group called Clear the Bench apparently failed in its drive to unseat three justices, whom the group had accused of  improperly driving up state spending and taxes, according to a Denver Post article.
• KANSAS: Voters retained four justices, the Wichita Eagle reported, and in two counties rejected attempts to get rid of merit selection for local trial judges.
• FLORIDA: Four Supreme Court justices, including two targeted by tea party activists, appeared headed for retention, the Associated Press reported.