Chris Taylor, a liberal Wisconsin judge and former Democratic state representative, won a ten-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, defeating conservative appeals court judge Maria Lazar and cementing a 5-2 liberal majority that will shape the state's legal landscape through at least 2030. The current state appellate judge's victory marks the latest in a series of judicial outcomes that have fundamentally altered Wisconsin's institutional balance of power.
Shifting Judicial Landscape
Conservatives have not won a Wisconsin Supreme Court race since a narrow 6,000-vote victory in 2019. Since then, liberal judges Jill Karofsky, Janet Protasiewicz, Susan Crawford and Taylor have won easy victories in a Wisconsin spring electorate trending firmly to the left. The result came amid a string of special election victories for Democrats that Politico said suggests a difficult political environment for the GOP heading into November's midterms.
The election attracted far less attention than last year's race, when Crawford beat her conservative opponent by over 10 points. That contest drew national scrutiny when Elon Musk, described as the world's richest man and a Republican megadonor, poured millions into an effort to defeat Crawford, arguing the fate of "Western civilization" was at stake.
Court's Recent Decisions
The court's liberal majority has issued a series of consequential rulings that have reshaped Wisconsin governance. In 2023, the court's liberals ordered new legislative maps in Wisconsin, effectively ending a GOP gerrymander that had lasted for over a decade. The redistricting decision fundamentally altered the state's political representation and legislative dynamics.
Last July, the panel overturned Wisconsin's 176-year-old abortion ban by a 4-3 majority, eliminating longstanding statutory restrictions. The court also ruled last year that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers could use his veto pen to lock in a 400-year increase in funding for schools, a decision that critics said stretched executive authority to unprecedented lengths and locked future legislatures into spending commitments extending centuries into the future.
Looking to November
Neither party expects the fall governor's race to follow the same exact path as the spring Supreme Court campaign, with November elections in the battleground state routinely decided by slim margins. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes are the top Democrats running for the right to face Trump-endorsed Rep. Tom Tiffany for governor in November.
Why This Matters:
Taylor's victory ensures liberal control of Wisconsin's highest court through 2030, assuming every justice finishes out their terms, giving the majority extended authority over critical questions of governance, election law, and fiscal policy. The court's recent decisions on legislative maps, abortion law, and executive veto power demonstrate the direct impact judicial composition has on institutional checks and balances. For Wisconsin taxpayers and businesses, the court's willingness to uphold expansive gubernatorial vetoes and overturn long-established statutes signals potential uncertainty in legal precedent and fiscal planning. The shift from competitive judicial races to comfortable liberal victories in spring elections raises questions about whether traditional electoral patterns in this battleground state remain predictive for higher-turnout November contests.