Swing State Supreme Court Justice to Step Down

(ConservativeInsider.org) – A liberal judge on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court announced she will not run for re-election next year, opening up a possibility that conservatives will take over the state’s current liberal majority in their Supreme Court.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is the longest-serving member of the state’s Supreme Court, serving since 1995. Though Bradley is 73 years old, her retirement has come as a surprise to many, given the contentious battles between liberal and conservative Justices of the swing state’s Supreme Court in recent years.

Conservatives held the majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for over 15 years, but in April 2023, liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz was elected to the court, shifting the balance to liberal majority. However, with Bradley’s departure next year, Republicans have a chance to re-take the Court.

While Republicans control the state legislature in Wisconsin with a supermajority in the state Senate and a nearly veto-proof majority in the state Assembly, the swing state is expected to be one of the most unpredictable and contentious battlegrounds in the 2024 presidential election.

Brad Schimel, a Republican who served as Wisconsin’s attorney general from 2015 to 2019, announced in late 2023 that he would run for the seat that Bradley currently occupies. As Bradley just announced her decision on Thursday, April 11th, no Democrats have announced that they will be running for her spot on the court, though there will likely be at least one Democrat who runs for the position.

Though last year Bradley said she intended to seek her fourth term, which would last for another 10 years, she noted in a recent interview that she would be 85 by the end of her next term. Bradley stated that her decision was made after much reflection, as she believes she could win re-election in 2025, but she felt it was time to “pass the torch” to a new generation. The three-term Justice has been known for her support for abortion as well as her opposition to gerrymandering that has occurred in the state under Republican control.