MADISON (WKOW) — Wisconsin voters elected Dane County judge Susan Crawford to a 10-year term on the state's highest court. She will fill the seat currently held by Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, a member of the court's liberal majority.
Because Crawford is also a liberal leaning judge, ideological balance of the court will not change. Alex Tahk, an associate professor of political science at UW-Madison, joined 27 News at 10 on election night to talk about what that means for major cases already in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court or likely on their way there.
One of those is a challenge to Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban. Tahk said people who oppose the law are likely glad Crawford will be sitting on the bench, but he said it's not clear yet exactly how the court will rule.
"There are two abortion cases before the court, so I think it's still unclear on what grounds the court would be likely to strike it down," he said. "But I think it's certainly unlikely the law will remain a full abortion ban."
A challenge to Act 10 is also likely to end up in front of the Supreme Court after a Dane County judge struck down parts of the law last year.
More Supreme Court races on the horizon
Wisconsin voters who felt overwhelmed by the barrage of campaign ads and record-breaking spending in this year's race might not be happy to hear more Supreme Court elections are coming up soon.
A seat on the court will be up for election every year from now through 2030. However, Tahk said he doesn't think each of those will be as intense or high-profile as this year's race.
The seats up for election in 2026 and 2027 are currently held by conservative justices. That means the ideological balance of the court won't be up for grabs. If a conservative candidate wins, the 4-3 liberal majority will stay the same. If a liberal candidate wins, the majority would grow to 5-2.
The earliest race that could determine the court's ideological control would be in 2028—the next time a liberal justice will be up for re-election. However, if a liberal candidate wins either seat in 2026 or 2027, the 2028 race would not be able to swing the court to a conservative majority.
More at WKOW 27 News