7 candidates are on the ballot. One ballot can carry several appellate seats, and the note below sets out which contest is which. For each judge: the record, any official performance evaluation, and the arguments published for and against them.
Minnesota elects its appellate judges statewide on a nonpartisan ballot — no party label is printed beside any name, which is why no party is listed below. Seven appellate seats are on the November 3, 2026 ballot and every Minnesota voter votes on all of them. In ballot order by court and seat: Minnesota Supreme Court — Associate Justice Seat 3, Paul Thissen; Associate Justice Seat 6, Sarah Hennesy. Minnesota Court of Appeals — Seat 1, Elizabeth G. Bentley; Seat 7, Rachel Bond; Seat 13, Jeanne M. Cochran; Seat 15, Kevin G. Ross; Seat 18, JaPaul Harris. No challenger filed against any of these judges by the June 2, 2026 filing deadline, so each race has a single name on the ballot and the sitting judge is effectively assured of a new term. Two Court of Appeals seats carry a congressional-district residency requirement (Seat 7 in the 5th district, Seat 15 in the 3rd), but all Court of Appeals judges are elected by the whole state. A third Supreme Court seat had been scheduled for this ballot: Justice Theodora Gaïtas was due to face voters in 2026, but in May 2026 Governor Tim Walz appointed her to the vacant chief justice seat and appointed Reynaldo Aligada Jr. to replace her as an associate justice. Because Minnesota law gives an interim justice at least a year before facing voters, that seat is off the 2026 ballot and both will run in 2028. Roster from the Minnesota Secretary of State's judicial filing list and county notices of offices to be voted on, cross-checked against reporting by Bolts.
7 candidates · ballot order · Paul Thissen currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Continuity on the Supreme Court.
Public understanding of how the courts work, a recurring theme of his public speaking.
Deciding cases on the record rather than on political considerations.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court, since 2018, appointed by Governor Mark Dayton.
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 2003–2018.
Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 2013–2015.
Candidate for governor of Minnesota in 2010 and 2018.
No challenger filed against him by the June 2, 2026 deadline; he appears unopposed on the November ballot.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
The race is uncontested, and no organised campaign either for or against Thissen was found. Searched: Minnesota Secretary of State filings, Bolts, MinnPost, Minnesota Reformer, Star Tribune and Minnesota Lawyer coverage.
Minnesota does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission, and the Minnesota State Bar Association publishes no rating for uncontested appellate races.
No independent analysis of his opinions on the Supreme Court was found.
Greater Minnesota trial-court experience on a court drawn largely from the metropolitan area.
Deciding cases on the record rather than on political considerations.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court, appointed by Governor Tim Walz.
District court judge, Seventh Judicial District of Minnesota, before her appointment.
Former assistant county attorney.
No challenger filed against her by the June 2, 2026 deadline; she appears unopposed on the November ballot.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
The race is uncontested, and no organised campaign either for or against Hennesy was found. Searched: Minnesota Secretary of State filings, Bolts, MinnPost, Minnesota Reformer, Star Tribune and Minnesota Lawyer coverage.
Minnesota does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission.
No independent analysis of her opinions on the Supreme Court was found.
No challenger filed against her by the June 2, 2026 deadline; she appears unopposed on the November ballot.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Little could be established about Bentley beyond her office. No campaign website, detailed biography or stated positions were found, which is typical of an uncontested Minnesota appellate race.
Searched: Minnesota Secretary of State filings, county notices of offices to be voted on, Minnesota Lawyer, MinnPost and Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission.
Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 7 (5th congressional district residency seat).
No challenger filed against her by the June 2, 2026 deadline; she appears unopposed on the November ballot.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Little could be established about Bond beyond her office. No campaign website, detailed biography or stated positions were found, which is typical of an uncontested Minnesota appellate race.
Searched: Minnesota Secretary of State filings, county notices of offices to be voted on, Minnesota Lawyer, MinnPost and Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission.
No challenger filed against her by the June 2, 2026 deadline; she appears unopposed on the November ballot.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Little could be established about Cochran beyond her office. No campaign website, detailed biography or stated positions were found, which is typical of an uncontested Minnesota appellate race.
Searched: Minnesota Secretary of State filings, county notices of offices to be voted on, Minnesota Lawyer, MinnPost and Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission.
Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 15 (3rd congressional district residency seat).
No challenger filed against him by the June 2, 2026 deadline; he appears unopposed on the November ballot.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Little could be established about Ross's 2026 candidacy beyond the filing. No campaign website or stated positions were found, which is typical of an uncontested Minnesota appellate race.
Searched: Minnesota Secretary of State filings, county notices of offices to be voted on, Minnesota Lawyer, MinnPost and Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission.
No challenger filed against him by the June 2, 2026 deadline; he appears unopposed on the November ballot.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Little could be established about Harris beyond his office. No campaign website, detailed biography or stated positions were found, which is typical of an uncontested Minnesota appellate race.
Searched: Minnesota Secretary of State filings, county notices of offices to be voted on, Minnesota Lawyer, MinnPost and Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Minnesota ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Minnesota Secretary of State.