I was confused by the elections for judges. It isn't an election between two people. Instead, we vote whether the incumbents should remain on the bench.
Does anyone know what percentage of judges are not retained??
I found this on the internet.
3. Do appeals court judges and Supreme Court justices have opponents?
No. Your vote determines whether each judge or justice should remain on the court.
They are not running against opponents or each other. Merit retention elections
are nonpartisan. In nonpartisan elections, candidates appear on the ballot without
reference to any political party, (e.g. Democrat or Republican). Florida law requires
judicial elections to be nonpartisan in order to preserve impartiality.
4. How do appeals court judges and Supreme Court justices get on the court?
The governor appoints judges or justices from lists submitted by Judicial Nominating
Commissions, which screen candidates and make recommendations based on their
merits. Newly appointed judges go on the ballot for the first time within two years after
appointment. If the voters retain them, they then go on the ballot again every six years.
I believe the following is accurate but if there is an attorney out there, please make any corrections.
There are two types of judges on the ballot.
We have Supreme Court judges (which is the highest court in Florida) and we have Appeals Court Judges (which are above the trial court but below the Florida Supreme Court).
There are two Supreme Justices on the ballot and seven District Court of Appeal judges on the ballot (we are in the Fifth District Court of Appeal).
Florida Courts - Florida Courts
Merit Retention Election – The Florida Bar
It is very difficult to find out any information on the particular judges. There is an article in the Orlando Sentinel but it is behind a paywall.