No. 19-309October Term 2019Decided Dec 10, 2020Updated May 23, 2026
Carney v. Adams
This case involved Delaware’s constitutional rules requiring partisan balance on its major courts, which an independent lawyer challenged as excluding him from judicial service unless he joined a major political party.
Case status
Decided 8-0 · December 10, 2020 · Opinion by Justice Breyer
Read the opinion (PDF)- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Dec 10, 2020
- What it's about
This case involved Delaware’s constitutional rules requiring partisan balance on its major courts, which an independent lawyer challenged as excluding him from judicial service unless he joined a major political party. The Supreme Court held that he lacked Article III standing because he had not shown he was actually able and ready to apply for a judgeship in the near future.
Question presented
1. WHETHER RESPONDENT HAS DEMONSTRATED ARTICLE III STANDING. 2. Does the First Amendment invalidate a longstanding state constitutional provision that limits judges affiliated with any one political party to no more than a "bare majority" on the State's three highest courts, with the other seats reserved for judges affiliated with the "other major political party''? 3. Did the Third Circuit err in holding that a provision of the Delaware Constitution requiring that no more than a "bare majority" of three of the state courts may be made up of judges affiliated with any one political party is not severable from a provision that judges who are not members of the majority party on those courts must be members of the other "major political party," when the former requirement existed for more than fifty years without the latter, and the former requirement, without the latter, continues to govern appointments to two other courts?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit / Decision released Dec 10, 2020
- Area
First Amendment
Timing
Decided December 10, 2020
The Court released its decision on December 10, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Documents
Activity
Docket activity3
Brief added: Questions Presented
May 23, 2026 | Court records
Opinion added: opinion
Dec 10, 2020 | Court records
Brief added: Petition
Sep 4, 2019 | Court records
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Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology