A conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court judge has announced that she would not run for re-election. This means there will be an open race for a seat on the court, which is currently 4-3 controlled by liberals.
Since Justice Rebecca Bradley’s decision, conservatives have lost the last two statewide Supreme Court races by more than ten points. This included an April race that broke national spending records and went to the liberals, even though billionaire Elon Musk gave a lot of money to the conservative candidate to amplify their campaign.
Newsweek noted that Bradley warned people in her message that she would not run for re-election.
“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,” Bradley said. “That warning went unheeded, and Wisconsin has seen only the beginning of what an alarming shift from thoughtful, principled judicial service toward bitter partisanship, personal attacks, and political gamesmanship is that have no place in court.”
She continued: “The conservative movement needs to take stock of its failures, identify the problem, and fix it. I will not seek reelection 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.”
In the last five elections, liberals have won four of them. In 2023, after 15 years of conservative rule, they will have the majority on the court. No matter what happens in April, leftists will have at least a 4–3 edge until 2028. This could change if a liberal gets Bradley’s open seat, though. The court will then have a 5-2 majority.
People all over the country will be interested in the race for Bradley’s old spot because the court is getting ready to hear cases about controversial topics like abortion, redistricting, election laws, and collective bargaining.
The Associated Press said Bradley was a very conservative judge and pointed out that she did not agree with the July decision that said a law from 1849 in Wisconsin did not amount to a ban on abortion.
The conservatives on the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted with Bradley to uphold a law that took away most state workers’ rights to union bargaining, according to the AP. With its new left majority, the Wisconsin Supreme Court may decide on a new challenge to that law, which is being talked about by a state appeals court right now.
Wisconsin is regarded as a crucial swing state in the presidential election by both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. As a result of the election in 2020, President Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden in the state.
In order to accept the case, Bradley voted in agreement with two other conservative justices. In the end, it was dismissed because conservative swing justice Brian Hagedorn found himself in agreement with the three liberals on the court, which resulted in a judgment that was 4-3. The decision made national news and has been a major talking point for both political parties.
Additionally, she concurred with the majority of conservatives when they stated that drop boxes for postal ballots were beyond the bounds of the law. On the other hand, the Supreme Court ultimately reversed that ruling.
Chris Taylor, a leftist judge on the state appeals court, had already begun running for Bradley’s seat prior to Bradley’s announcement that she would not be competing for the position.
On April 7, 2026, the people will cast their votes for a candidate to take Bradley’s position. The 31st of July, 2026 makes up the final day of her term.