A Note About This Page
Determining the political affiliation of a judge can be challenging since most states run nonpartisan elections for selections of their state judges. Federal judges are appointed by the President of the United States, which many assume the political affiliation of the judge is the same as the President's and is not always the case.
On this libguide, I determined the political affiliation of judges through a few criteria measures:
1. They are on record for running in a partisan election.
2. They are on record for donating to a particular political affiliated party group and/or another election campaign.
3. The judge is quoted in a credible and/or primary resource media source they associate with a political ideology as a private citizen.
For several state and federal judges a concrete political party could not be identified by the above criteria therefore for federal judges, I identified them with the political party of the president who nominated them. This is for two reasons:
1. The general public often associates the political affiliation of a judge based on that measurement anyway
2. It is very likely that they lean that way in political ideology.
There were several in my research that literally nothing could be found about their political affiliations and ideologies and were often described by peers as being very independent. In these cases, I labeled them independent for their extensive reputation for balanced, fair, and independent judgments and opinions, and the lack of evidence that they firmly associate with a political party.
NOTE: I am NOT declaring that if a judge is a registered democrat or republican, they cannot make fair and balanced decisions in the courts they preside over. Actually, I am trying to prove the opposite. My whole point in associating judges with a party is to demonstrate that many judges who publically identify as Republican, decided against the Donald Trump campaign in state and federal lawsuits, to further provide evidence that the 2020 Presidential Election was not "rigged" and the courts are not filled with Democrats who dismissed cases so that Biden could "steal the election."
If you should have credible and authoritative evidence that a judge that is mentioned on this libguide is affiliated with the wrong party, please feel free to contact me and send the information. I want to get information correct and welcome corrections.
This page shows the results and political affiliation of the composition of the federal and state courts. It is intended to visually demonstrate that the courts were not "stacked" with all democrats or judges with ideologies that some would describe as liberal. It is intended to show that many judges ruled against Donald Trump, even judges he appointed himself. This page is also intended to give users information on who appointed them and/or elected them.
Additionally, the cases decided before the courts are linked here as well. Some of the 2020 election lawsuits are very complex in the motions and appeals that were filed at the time. A full list can be found on the Election litigation page.
Please also see my disclaimer note on this page. It describes how I associated judges with political affiliation depending on the judge and the court.
| Justice | Appointed By |
| John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice | George W. Bush |
| Clarance Thomas | George H.W. Bush |
| Stephen G. Breyer | Bill Clinton |
| Samuel A. Alito | George W. Bush |
| Sonia Sotomayor | Barak Obama |
| Elena Kagan | Barack Obama |
| Neil M. Gorsuch | Donald J. Trump |
| Brett M. Kavanaugh | Donald J. Trump |
| Amy Coney Barrett | Donald J. Trump |
Case Number: 6:20-cv-00660
| Judge | Court | Case | State | Appointed By | Political Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal District Court of Texas |
Gohmert vs. Pence |
Texas | Donald J. Trump | Republican |
Filed an Amicus Brief by e Louie Gohmert, United States Representative for the First Congressional District of Texas
| Judge | Court | Case | State | Appointed By (if applicable) |
Political Affiliation |
| Andy Oldham | United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit |
Gohmert vs. Pence |
Texas | Donald J. Trump |
Republican |
| Patrick Higginbotham | United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit |
Gohmert vs. Pence |
Texas | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Jerry Edwin Smith | United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit |
Gohmert vs. Pence |
Texas | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
Case number: 2020AP2038
Sent the Milwaukee County District Court from the State Court. The state court appointed Stephen A. Simanek to consolidate all complaints and expedite the complaint and was dismissed.
Appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court: Upheld the lower court and dismissed.
| Judge | Court | Case | State | Appointed By (If applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| Stephen A. Simanek |
Trump v. Biden |
Wisconsin | Appointed by Wisconsin Supreme Court to consolidate complaints | Independent | |
| Brian Hagedon |
Trump v. Biden |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Supreme Court Judges are elected in non-partisan elections | Independent | |
| Ann Walsh Bradley |
Trump v. Biden |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Supreme Court Judges are elected in non-partisan elections | Democrat | |
| Rebbeca Dallet |
Trump v. Biden |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Supreme Court Judges are elected in non-partisan elections | Independent | |
| JJ Karofsky |
Trump v. Biden |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Supreme Court Judges are elected in non-partisan elections | Democrat | |
| Patience Roggensack |
Trump v. Biden |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Supreme Court Judges are elected in non-partisan elections | Republican | |
| Patience Roggensack |
Trump v. Biden |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Supreme Court Judges are elected in non-partisan elections | Republican | |
| Rebecca Bradley |
Trump v. Biden |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Supreme Court Judges are elected in non-partisan elections | Republican |
Motion to Expedite was denied.
SCOTUS denied hearing the case
| Judge | Court | State | Case | Appointed By (if applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| Brett Ludwig |
United States District Court - Eastern District of Wisconsin |
Wisconsin | 2:20-cv-01785 | Donald J. Trump | Republican |
| Judge | Court | State | Case | Appointed By (if applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| Michael Yale Sucudder Jr. |
United States Court of Appeals - 7th Circut (Federal Court) |
Wisconsin |
Trump v. Wisconsin Elections Commission |
Donald J. Trump | Republican |
| Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner |
United States Court of Appeals - 7th Circut (Federal Court) |
Wisconsin |
Trump v. Wisconsin Elections Commission | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Joel Martin Flaum |
United States Court of Appeals - 7th Circut (Federal Court) |
Wisconsin | Trump v. Wisconsin Elections Commission | Ronald Reagan | Republican |
| Judge | Court | State | Case | Appointed By (if applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| James E. Boasberg | District of Columbia |
Wisconsin Voters Alliance, et al., v. Pence, et al., |
Barack Obama | Democrat |
| Judge | Court | State | Case | Nominated By (if applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| Daniel Kiley | Arizona State Superior Court - Maricopa County | Arizona |
Donald J. Trump For President, Inc. v. Hobbs |
Judges are selected and appointed by a merit system and board or 16 politically balanced individuals. | N/A |
Case Outcome: Dismissed for mootness in the presidential election ballots
| Judge | Court | State | Case | Nominated By (if applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| Joe Hardy Jr. | Clark County Superior Court | Nevada |
Donald J. Trump For President, Inc. v. Gloria |
Elected in Nonpartisan election | Republican |
Outcome: Clark County election officials allowed to use artificial intelligence to verify mail-in ballot signatures and make copies of ballots whose originals could not be machine-processed.
Case Number: 355378; 355397
Outcome and Opinion: Dismissed as moot.
Court of Appeals Outcome and Opinion: Upheld lower court 2-1
Federal Case: Voluntarily dismissed
| Judge | Court | State | Case | Nominated By (if applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| Cynthia Stephans | Michigan Court of Claims | Michigan |
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. Benson |
Jennifer Granholm | Democrat* |
| Stephen Borrello | Michigan Fourth District Court of Appeals | Michigan |
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. Benson |
Jennifer Granholm | Democrat |
| Patrick Meter |
Michigan Fourth District Court of Appeals (Term ended Jan 2021) |
Michigan |
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. Benson |
John Engler | Republican |
| Amy Ronayne Krause | Michigan First District Court of Appeals | Michigan |
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. Benson |
Jennifer Granholm | Democrat |
| Janet T. Neff |
|
| Michigan |
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. Benson |
George W. Bush | Republican |
*Michigan holds nonpartisan elections for judges to 6-year terms. When there is a vacancy, the governor appoints the judge to fill and then will be required to run for re-election. While the election is nonpartisan, judges often publically identify with one party or another. Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, is a democrat and Cynthia Stephens has publically noted her political affiliation as well as donating money to a Democratic political campaign in 2010.
On November 4, 2020, the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee sued Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar (D) and the state's 67 county election boards. The plaintiffs alleged that processes allowing mail-in voters to provide missing proof of identification after submitting their ballots violated state law. On November 1, 2020, Boockvar directed county election officials to give mail-in voters until November 12, 2020, to provide missing proof of identification. State law specifies that missing proof of identification must be submitted by the sixth day following the election, which would be November 9, 2020. The plaintiffs asked the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania to reinstate this statutory deadline.[8]
On November 5, 2020, Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt ordered election officials to "segregate ballots for which identification is received and verified on November 10, 11, and 12, 2020, from ballots for which identification is received and verified on or before November 9, 2020." On November 12, 2020, Leavitt ruled that Boockvar lacked statutory authority to extend the deadline and barred election officials from counting ballots for which identification was received and verified after November 9, 2020.[9][10]
On November 9, 2020, the Trump campaign filed a federal lawsuit against Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar (D) and several county-level officials, alleging multiple violations of the state election code and the U.S. Constitution. In their complaint, attorneys for the campaign said the following:[19]
| "Plaintiffs seek an emergency order prohibiting Defendants from certifying the results of the General Election. In the alternative, Plaintiffs seek an emergency order prohibiting Defendants from certifying any results from the General Election that included the tabulation of absentee and mail-in ballots which do not comply with the Election Code, including, without limitation, the tabulation of absentee and mail-in ballots Trump Campaign’s watchers were prevented from observing or based on the tabulation of invalidly cast absentee and mail-in ballots which (i) lack a secrecy envelope, or contain on that envelope any text, mark, or symbol which reveals the elector’s identity, political affiliation, or candidate preference, (ii) do not include on the outside envelope a completed declaration that is dated and signed by the elector, or (iii) are delivered in-person by third parties for non-disabled voters. Lastly and in addition to the alternative requests for relief, Plaintiffs seek a permanent injunction requiring the County Election Boards to invalidate ballots cast by voters who were notified and given an opportunity to cure their invalidly cast mail-in ballot."[20] |
On November 12, 2020, law firm Porter Wright withdrew from the suit. On November 15, 2020, attorneys for the Trump campaign filed an amended complaint, dropping the allegation that election officials violated the campaign's constitutional rights by preventing campaign observers from monitoring the counting process.[21]
On November 16, 2020, attorneys John Scott, and Douglas Bryan Hughes withdrew from the suit. Marc A. Scaringi signed on to act as counsel for the campaign. On November 17, 2020, Rudy Giuliani, a former U.S. Attorney, and New York City mayor, petitioned the court to allow him to intervene as the campaign's lead counsel. Judge Matthew Brann heard oral arguments on November 17, 2020.[22]
On November 18, 2020, the Trump campaign amended its complaint further, alleging that "a substantial portion of the approximately 1.5 million absentee and mail votes in [Allegheny, Centre, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia] counties should not have been counted, and the vast majority favored Biden, thus resulting in returns indicating Biden won Pennsylvania."
The campaign asked that the court either order election officials to omit the challenged ballots from the official tally or grant the state legislature the authority to choose a slate of presidential electors. On November 19, 2020, attorney Linda Kerns withdrew from the case.[23][24]
On November 21, 2020, Brann dismissed the lawsuit. In his opinion, Brann wrote the following:[25]
|
"In this action, the Trump Campaign and the Individual Plaintiffs seek to discard millions of votes legally cast by Pennsylvanians from all corners – from Green County to Pike County, and everywhere in between. ... One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption, such that this Court would have no option but to regrettably grant the proposed injunctive relief despite the impact it would have on such a large group of citizens. That has not happened. Instead, this Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence."[20] |
| Judge | Court | Case | Appointed By (if applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| Mary Hannah Leavitt | Pennslyvania Commonwealth Court |
Trump For President, Inc. v. Boockvar |
Elected | Republican |
| Matthew Brann | United States Court For the Middle District of Pennsylvania |
Trump For President, Inc. v. Boockvar |
Donald J. Trump | Republican |
| Stephan Bibas | United States Court of Appeals - Third Circuit |
Trump For President, Inc. v. Boockvar |
Donald J. Trump | Republican |
| Brooks Smith, Chief Justice | George W. Bush | Republican | ||
| Michael A. Chagares | George W. Bush | Republican |
| Judge | Issue | Court | Outcome | Political Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stella M. Tsai | In re: pre-canvass of absentee and mail-in ballots of November 3, 2020, general election | Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas | Dismissed | Democrat |
| Christine Fizzano Cannon | re: canvassing observation; Appeal of: Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. | Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court | Overturned lower court and granted allowing closer canvassing of ballots | Republican |
| James Crumlish | In re: pre-canvass of absentee and mail-in ballots of November 3, 2020, general election | Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas | Denied and Dismissed | Democrat |
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court | In re: pre-canvass of absentee and mail-in ballots of November 3, 2020, general election | Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | Reversed the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Courts Decision 7-0 | See Composition of the Pennslyvania Court |
In re: enforcement of election laws and securing ballots cast of received after 7:00 P.M. on November 3, 2020 - Original Complaint.
| Judge | Political Affiliation |
| James F. Bass | Independent |
Outcome: Dismissed by the judge, then voluntarily dismissed by Trump's legal team.
| Judge | Court | Case | Appointed By (if applicable) | Political Affiliation |
| Mark H. Cohen | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia - 11th Circuit |
Trump v. Kemp |
Barak Obama | Independent* |
*Political affiliation could not be determined. While some of his legal decisions and opinions could be considered conservative, no definitive information was found to concretely say what political party the judge associates himself with.