Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford announced on Monday she will be running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in an election that will determine the political makeup of the court.
Crawford would be replacing Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who is part of the court’s 4-3 liberal majority.
Crawford has served as a circuit judge since 2018 and was previously a prosecutor for the state attorney general’s office and chief legal counsel to former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. She has also established a liberal reputation as a private practice attorney arguing cases regarding abortion, photo ID requirements for voting and collective bargaining rights.
The election will be held on April 1 and will determine whether the court will maintain its liberal majority until 2028.
The current liberal majority was established when Janet Protasiewicz, who also campaigned on the issue of abortion, won her election to the court in April 2023.
A liberal majority on the court could maintain the right to abortion services, as liberal judges throughout the state have ruled in favor of providing the service after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
Crawford previously represented Planned Parenthood in a case related to abortion access and emphasized the importance of having a liberal majority in the court in a statement on her candidacy.
“I know we need Supreme Court justices who understand what it takes to keep communities safe, who are impartial and fair, who will use common sense and who won’t politicize the constitution to undermine our most basic rights,” Crawford said in her campaign announcement.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, a former Republican attorney general who is opposed to abortion and has proposed bringing back the state’s 1849 abortion ban, will be running in the race as Crawford’s opponent.
