One year to Election Day for Justices Corrigan and Kruger, and probably for a justice to be named

One year from today is Election Day 2018 across the country.  In California, besides electing a new governor and other state-wide officers, voters will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on keeping in office various state Supreme Court and Court of Appeal justices.  The justices serve 12-year terms, except when they’re first appointed or when they’re first elected to an unexpired term.  (See here and here.)

So, which members of the Supreme Court will be on the ballot next year?  Justices Carol Corrigan and Leondra Kruger, as long as they file their declarations of candidacy and a filing fee of about $4,500 by next August 15.  Joining them will be whoever Governor Jerry Brown appoints to fill the vacancy created by Justice Kathryn Werdegar’s retirement, assuming the appointment is made (and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments) by August 15, which is probable but not necessarily a given.

Justices almost always win their elections.  But you never know when the next 100-year flood will come.