State Supreme Court Justice N. Patrick Crooks announced in a statement Wednesday that he will not seek re-election when his term ends July 31, 2016.
His retirement announcement comes on the 38th anniversary of his swearing in as a Brown County judge in 1977, a year before he was elected a Brown County Circuit Court judge. Crooks has served on the Supreme Court since 1996.
Over time, Crooks established a reputation as a moderate justice and a crucial swing vote, especially as the court has grown more conservative in recent years.
The election to replace Crooks will take place April 5, with State Appeals Court Judges JoAnne Kloppenburg and Rebecca Bradley and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Joe Donald having already announced their candidacies.
Kloppenburg ran unsuccessfully against Justice David Prosser in 2011, and is backed by state liberals. Bradley, on the other hand, has the support of conservatives.
Donald commended Crooks’ record in his statement, hoping to follow in the judge’s footsteps if elected.
“He is an independent judge,” Donald said in the statement. “That legacy is what I hope to carry on.”
Crooks’ announcement comes at a time of turmoil for the court, which is gridlocked over the pending federal appeal of former Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
In April, the state constitution was amended to allow the court to choose its own chief justice instead of the position going to the most senior justice, which removed Abrahamson from the position.
The liberal Abrahamson filed a lawsuit to maintain the role of chief justice until the end of her term in 2019, but it was dismissed by U.S. District Judge James Peterson this July. Undeterred, Abrahamson filed an appeal earlier this month.
