After initially planning to seek a fourth 10-year term, liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley (pictured above), the court's longest-serving justice, has decided not to seek another term when her current 10-year term expires in 2025.
"My decision has not come lightly," Bradley said in a statement. Though she believes she could have won reelection, she says, "It's just time to pass the torch, bringing fresh perspectives to the court."
As the Associated Press points out, this sets up a "high-stakes fight" for control of the battleground state's highest court.
"If the conservative candidate wins in 2025, we would flip the court back to a 4-3 conservative majority after having had for … a year and a half or two years a liberal majority with a 4-3 margin," explains Julaine Appling, president emeritus of Wisconsin Family Action.
She thinks that been plenty long enough for the state to see what a liberal majority looks like. In that time, the court has made several key rulings, including a December decision overturning Republican-drawn maps of the state's legislative districts.
"We have seen decisions made that impact everyone," the pro-lifer accounts. "We are going to see more decisions made on the life issue, on election issues. We're going to see things on a multitude of issues that will have an impact on the citizens of our great state," she goes on to note.
Former Republican Attorney General and current Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel has announced his candidacy. On the other side, at least two current liberal judges — Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford and state Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor — are considering getting in the race, though no one has made an official announcement yet.
The primary is Feb. 18, and the general election is April 1, just under a year away.
