# A slim majority don't know how their state picks its top judges

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/politics/a-slim-majority-dont-know-how-their-state-picks-its-top-judges/

> Indexed question in Politics.

## Reading

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

What kind of judicial selection method does your state employ for the highest court in the state?

A slim majority don't know how their state picks its top judges.

- Don’t know: 55.3%
- Legislative election: 12.4%
- Nonpartisan election: 8.7%
- Partisan election: 7.0%
- Gubernatorial appointment: 6.9%
- Partisan primary election followed by a nonpartisan general election: 6.9%
- Assisted appointment: 2.8%

## 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: 2025-04-09 → 2025-04-15
- 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

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co#judicial-selection-method](https://verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co#judicial-selection-method)

## Citation

Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2025-026, fielded April 9-15, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.

Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co#judicial-selection-method](https://verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co#judicial-selection-method)