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Here’s what states the justices currently represent, along with my suggestion how the electorate as a whole would vote in that region of the country:

1st Circuit
Senior Judge: Stephen Breyer
District of Maine
District of Massachusetts
District of New Hampshire
District of Rhode Island
(SAFE DEMOCRAT)

2nd Circuit
Senior Judge: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
District of Connecticut
Eastern District of New York
Northern District of New York
Southern District of New York
Western District of New York
District of Vermont
(SAFE DEMOCRAT)

3rd Circuit
Senior Judge: Samuel Alito
District of Delaware
District of New Jersey
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Middle District of Pennsylvania
Western District of Pennsylvania
(LEANS DEMOCRAT)

4th District
Senior Judge: John Roberts
District of Maryland
Eastern District of North Carolina
Middle District of North Carolina
Western District of North Carolina
District of South Carolina
Eastern District of Virginia
Western District of Virginia
Northern District of West Virginia
Southern District of West Virginia
(LIKELY REPUBLICAN)

5th Circuit
Senior Judge: Antonin Scalia
Eastern District of Louisiana
Middle District of Louisiana
Western District of Louisiana
Northern District of Mississippi
Southern District of Mississippi
Eastern District of Texas
Northern District of Texas
Southern District of Texas
Western District of Texas
(SAFE REPUBLICAN)

6th Circuit
Senior Judge Elena Kagan
Eastern District of Kentucky
Western District of Kentucky
Eastern District of Michigan
Western District of Michigan
Northern District of Ohio
Southern District of Ohio
Eastern District of Tennessee
Middle District of Tennessee
Western District of Tennessee
(TOSSUP, SLIGHT REPUBLICAN)

7th Circuit
Senior Judge Elena Kagan
Central District of Illinois
Northern District of Illinois
Southern District of Illinois
Northern District of Indiana
Southern District of Indiana
Eastern District of Wisconsin
Western District of Wisconsin
(TOSSUP)

8th Circuit
Senior Justice Samuel Alito
Eastern District of Arkansas
Western District of Arkansas
Northern District of Iowa
Southern District of Iowa
District of Minnesota
Eastern District of Missouri
Western District of Missouri
District of Nebraska
District of North Dakota
District of South Dakota
(SAFE REPUBLICAN)

9th Circuit
Senior Judge Anthony Kennedy
District of Alaska
District of Arizona
Central District of California
Eastern District of California
Northern District of California
Southern District of California
District of Hawaii
District of Idaho
District of Montana
District of Nevada
District of Oregon
Eastern District of Washington
Western District of Washington
(LIKELY DEMOCRAT [Due to California and Washington state being able to outvote the rest of the district])

10th Circuit
Senior Judge Sonia Sotomayor
District of Colorado
District of Kansas
District of New Mexico
Eastern District of Oklahoma
Northern District of Oklahoma
Western District of Oklahoma
District of Utah
District of Wyoming
(SAFE REPUBLICAN)

11th Circuit
Clarence Thomas
Middle District of Alabama
Northern District of Alabama
Southern District of Alabama
Middle District of Florida
Northern District of Florida
Southern District of Florida
Middle District of Georgia
Northern District of Georgia
Southern District of Georgia
(LIKELY REPUBLICAN)

And here’s some gerrymandering ideas if the justices were elected by popular vote:

* Alito’s district would be redrawn so he represents Pennsylvania, West Viriginia, and Ohio.

* Kennedy’s district would be redrawn to remove the coastal (and island) states, so he would represent Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. After he retired, he would likely be replaced with a much more conservative judge.

* Kagan’s 6th and 7th districts would be merged and cut down to place her in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, and maybe Missouri. She’d be zotted faster than a pro-gay marriage troll on FR.

* Sotomayor is already toast if she had to face the voters in the current 10th Circuit.

OK, a few thoughts:

1. If these “judicial districts” can diverge in population by more than 10%, then the Democrats could redraw them when they get a big congressional majority at some point (and don’t point out how difficult that would be given our natural advantage in the House and Senate, since 2006 and 2008 occurred despite our natural advantage) and really screw us. If we need a system tthinking that we can exploit it, count on the RATs screwing us eventually.

2. I don’t like popular elections of judges, and having them at the federal level (even if only for SCOTUS) could be particularly pernicious, even if Justices are elected by voters in particular multi-state judicial districts.

3. Having Justices serve staggered 18-yea terms, with a seat up every two years (one per Congress) so that each presidential term would see two SCOTUS appointments (preferably one in the first year and one in the third year to limit the effects of election-year politics), would give the voters more of a say in the selection process, given that we wouldn’t go through 10+ years without a SCOTUS vacancy like we did from 1994 to 2005 (when the Senators elected by the voters in 1994, 1996 and 1998 didn’t get to vote on any SCOTUS appointments during their respective terms). While a president could make more than two appointments (subject to Senate confirmation, of course) during a term if a Justice dies or resigns, any appointment for a partial term would be valid not for 18 years, but only until the term expires, which greatly reduces the benefit of self-dealing by Justices that time their retirement to coincide with a president and Senate of their preference. And by substituting an 18-year term for the traditional lifetime appointment, it eliminates the incentive for presidents to appoint young and possibly unvetted judges to SCOTUS, and permits them to name 60- to 65-year-old judges with a proven track record, since both a 50-year-old and a 65-year-old would serve the same 18 years. So if I were to change the selection process for SCOTUS, I would go with staggered 18-year terms.