Conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley on Friday announced that she will not seek re-election, setting up another major judicial election in the battleground state next year.
"For years I have warned that under the control of judicial activists, the court will make itself more powerful than the legislature, more powerful than the governor. That warning went unheeded and Wisconsin has seen only the beginning of what is an alarming shift from thoughtful, principled judicial service toward bitter partisanship, personal attacks, and political gamesmanship that have no place in court," Bradley, who has served on the technically nonpartisan court since 2015, said in a statement.
"The conservative movement needs to take stock of its failures, identify the problem, and fix it. I will not seek re-election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court because I believe the best path for me to rebuild the conservative movement and fight for liberty is not as a minority member of the Court," she added.
Bradley's retirement could provide liberals with an opportunity to expand their 4-3 majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court after winning a pair of hard-fought elections in recent years that have drawn national attention.
In 2023, Janet Protasiewicz defeated a conservative former justice to flip control of the court in liberals' favor for the first time in 15 years.
And Susan Crawford won a seat on the court in April, beating conservative Brad Schimel to cement liberals’ majority on the court. Elon Musk, a tech mogul and former advisor to President Donald Trump, was a major figure in the race, spending over $12 million through a super PAC to boost Schmel.
That race featured more than $75 million in spending on both sides, surpassing the 2023 race's record to become the most expensive state Supreme Court race ever.
Before Bradley's decision not to run for another 10-year term on the court, one liberal candidate, Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, has already entered the race. She has been endorsed by groups like EMILY's List, a national organization that seeks to elect Democratic women who favor abortion rights.
Taylor's campaign manager, Ashley Franz, said in a statement, “Judge Taylor has spent the last three months traveling across Wisconsin, connecting with voters, and building support for her campaign for Wisconsin Supreme Court because our state deserves someone who stands for justice — this announcement doesn’t change that."
"The incredible support for Judge Taylor shows how important this race is. No matter who Republicans and right-wing special interests recruit to run against her, Wisconsinites will once again have a clear choice between a candidate who believes in stripping rights away and Judge Taylor, who has always been on the side of the people," Franz added.
Supreme Court races, which are typically lower-profile, in other states have also drawn national attention in recent years as they've weighed polarizing issues like abortion and redistricting.
