Musk spent at least $3 million on this year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race himself and groups he funds spent nearly $19 million more.
I would say no.” The Wisconsin Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling within weeks in one challenge it heard last year to the state’s 1849 abortion ban law.
A Dane County circuit judge struck down most of the law as unconstitutional in December and the Supreme Court is considering whether to hear an appeal.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court faces a number of other high-profile cases, including a pair filed earlier this month seeking to overturn the state’s Republican-drawn congressional maps.
Bradley, the incumbent, was appointed to the Supreme Court by Walker in 2015 and won election to a full term in 2016.
WISSON. (AP) — On Tuesday, a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who was a vocal advocate for abortion rights in the state legislature declared her intention to run against the incumbent conservative justice, who supported President Donald Trump in his unsuccessful attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Judge Chris Taylor, 57, of the Wisconsin Appeals Court, is the first liberal contender to run in 2026.
Liberals already hold a 4-3 majority in the battleground state, so the election next year won’t be for control of the court. Earlier this month, conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley announced her intention to run for reelection.
Susan Crawford, a Democrat, defeated a conservative candidate backed by Trump and billionaire Elon Musk in April, giving the liberals the majority of the court in 2024 and securing it until at least 2028.
Musk himself invested at least $3 million in this year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court contest, and the organizations he supports invested almost $19 million more. However, Musk stated on Tuesday that he will be reducing his future political campaign expenditures, which may result in Bradley receiving less money.
Spending records were broken in that race, which served as an early litmus test for Musk and Trump in the presidential swing state that Trump lost in 2020 but won in 2024 and 2016. Crawford won by 10 percentage points, becoming the 12th statewide candidate in Wisconsin with Democratic support to win out of 15 contests.
Next year, liberals could increase their court majority to 5-2. Should Bradley prevail, the liberal majority of 4–3 would remain in place.
Taylor said she is running “to ensure that people receive a fair shake, that the judiciary remains independent and impartial, and that people have confidence in the judiciary” in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday. “”.
Noting that she supported Trump in his failed attempt to reverse his 2020 election defeat, she accused Bradley of putting a right-wing agenda first.
A request for comment via email on Tuesday was not immediately answered by Bradley. Brian Schimming, the chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party, referred to Taylor as a “radical” and stated that she would be held accountable for her “extremely partisan record in the legislature and on the bench.”. “”.
Taylor served as a Democrat in the Wisconsin Legislature from 2011 to 2020, representing Madison, the state’s liberal capital, and was a vocal advocate for unions, gun control, and abortion rights. She previously served as Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s public policy director and an attorney.
Conservatives will almost certainly use her prior remarks and stances to claim that Taylor is biased and should not hear cases pertaining to a variety of issues, such as union rights, abortion, and redistricting.
Taylor claimed that her five-year judicial record demonstrates her ability to be impartial.
She asserted that partisanship has no place in the judiciary.
According to Taylor, she would not drop a case just because it involved redistricting, union rights, or abortion. She stated that each case would be evaluated on its own facts before deciding whether to recuse.
“There are situations where you need to recuse yourself if you don’t think you can be impartial, and I have done that,” Taylor stated. But complete topics? No, I would say. “”.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard a challenge to the state’s 1849 abortion ban law last year, and it is anticipated to render a decision in a matter of weeks. Although it hasn’t set a date for oral arguments, it has consented to hear another case filed by Planned Parenthood that aims to guarantee abortion rights under the constitution. That case will probably be heard prior to the August 2026 inauguration of the next year’s election winner.
Taylor publicly opposed the then-Governor. Act 10, the signature law of Scott Walker, essentially eliminated the majority of public employees’ ability to engage in collective bargaining. The majority of the law was declared unconstitutional by a Dane County circuit judge in December, and the Supreme Court is deciding whether to consider an appeal.
A pair of cases filed earlier this month to overturn the state’s Republican-drawn congressional maps are among the many high-profile cases the Wisconsin Supreme Court is currently considering.
Taylor was appointed by Democratic Governor to the Dane County Circuit Court in 2020. Tony Evers. . In 2023, she was elected to the state appeals court.
Walker nominated incumbent Bradley to the Supreme Court in 2015, and in 2016, he was elected to a full term.
