A slim majority don't know how their state picks its top judges
Core finding
More than half of Americans (55%) cannot say how their state selects the judges on its highest court, according to an April 2025 Verasight survey.
The actual methods trail well behind: naming a legislative election tops them at 12%, nonpartisan election follows at 9%, and none of the remaining approaches climbs out of the single digits.
Topline distribution
A slim majority don't know how their state picks its top judges.
What kind of judicial selection method does your state employ for the highest court in the state?
n = 1,000 · Apr 9–15, 2025 · MoE ±3.5%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Apr 9–15, 2025 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.5% |
| Module | policy |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co
What kind of judicial selection method does your state employ for the highest court in the state?
Cite this question
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2025-026, fielded April 9-15, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.