Judicial Retention — How It Works
November 3, 2026 General Election — which judges are on your ballot, by district
How retention works: California appellate justices are appointed by the governor but must face the voters to keep their seats. They run unopposed in “retention” elections — there is no opponent, just a Yes (keep) or No (remove) question, and a justice removed this way is replaced by gubernatorial appointment. These are nonpartisan races.
Find your judges: Court of Appeal retention questions are grouped by appellate district, which covers whole counties. Find your county below and open your district’s page — it lists only the judges you vote on (plus the 2 statewide Supreme Court justices).
Note: The California Supreme Court is statewide — every voter decides the same 2 questions (Justices Groban and Evans). Those 2 are included at the top of each district page, so a district page shows your complete set of judicial retention questions.
Sources
- Official Secretary of State — List of Judicial Candidates (certified Aug. 24, 2026); ballot questions shown verbatim
- appellate.courts.ca.gov — official justice biographies and appointing governors
- CalMatters 2026 voter guide — California Supreme Court retentions (Groban, Evans)
- LAist 2026 voter guide — which appellate district appears on each county’s ballot