Wisconsin's Judicial Swing
Wisconsin voters are about to make a 10-year commitment. And the consequences could be far-reaching, for the state and for the nation.
Next week, voters will elect a new judge to the seven-member state Supreme Court. The candidates, Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor, are both currently judges on the Wisconsin Appeals Court. While the election is officially nonpartisan, Lazar is backed by Republicans, and Taylor, a former state representative, is backed by Democrats. At stake is a term that will not end until 2036.
Liberal judges currently have a 4-3 majority on the court, which they won in 2023 and held onto in last year’s election, by far the most expensive state supreme court race in history. That race drew intense ad spending from the right and the left, as Republicans worked to restore a conservative majority to the court. Elon Musk, then a “special government employee” heading up President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, wrote $1 million checks to some voters who participated in the election. Democratic donors, including billionaire George Soros, spent millions on the race as well.
This year’s race is a snooze by comparison. Total ad spending by independent political groups hadn’t even cracked $1 million a few weeks prior to election day, according to local reports. In a tough year for Republicans, with household costs still rising and dissatisfaction with Trump’s job performance at an all-time high, Taylor, the Democratic-backed judge, is expected to win, expanding the liberal majority to 5-2. Even if she doesn’t, liberals will still have a majority on the court. But the decisions could be more delicat
https://www.governing.com/politics/wisconsins-judicial-swing