Wisconsin Supreme Court race; Crawford, Schimel on abortion
MILWAUKEE - Majority control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court will come down to your vote in April. FOX6 News questioned the candidates: Susan Crawford, supported by liberals, and Brad Schimel, backed by conservatives.
What they're saying
Liberal justices currently hold a one-seat majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Justices decide some of the state's most controversial and pressing questions, including abortion.
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Crawford: "That’s a pending case in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, not appropriate for me to weigh in. And I just want to explain a little bit more about why that is. I have not read the party’s filings in the case. I really don’t know what their specific arguments are. I was not present at the oral argument in that case. I have not been part of the court’s deliberations in that case.
"It’s really important for judges to wait and keep an open mind until they’ve got all the facts in front of them. They’ve heard the attorney’s arguments on how the law should be applied, and only then should they be making a decision on any issue."
Susan Crawford
Schimel: "I can’t prejudge these things. I have to see the briefs, I have to hear the arguments of the lawyers, and then I have to compare those to the current law, to the constitution, and then decide that. Any judge who can’t have that kind of patience, they shouldn’t even be a juror, let alone the judge.
"My wife and I have two adopted daughters. Two then-18-year-old young women who are living at home, still in school, had the courage and the love to give us a family we can’t have biologically. That very much shapes my views on life issues, but my views on life issues are utterly irrelevant. I’m not running to undo the will of the people.
Brad Schimel
Dane County Judge Crawford was previously a prosecutor and an attorney. At one time, she represented Planned Parenthood. Waukesha County Judge Schimel was previously the county's district attorney and Wisconsin's Republican attorney general.
Crawford: "I’m running this race as a judge. I’m running to be a fair and impartial justice for the Wisconsin supreme court, to make common sense decisions that protect the rights of all Wisconsinites."
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Calvi to Schimel: "When people look at you, they’re going to say: ‘He was the Republican attorney general.’"
Schimel: "I had a different role then. I was an advocate, and now I’m not. As the last six years as a judge, just like that umpire puts on their black uniform, I put on a black uniform, too – a robe. And that robe, it’s not a fashion statement, it’s a symbolic statement that we have to be objective. We aren’t picking any color, any team. We’re not wearing a jersey when we get up on that bench.
Wisconsin Supreme Court seat 2025; stage set for April election
In April, voters will decide once again if the Wisconsin Supreme Court goes liberal or conservative.
What's next
With just two candidates in the race, there will be no February primary. The election is on Tuesday, April 2.
In 2023, Wisconsin set a national record for state supreme court races with more than $50 million spent; the upcoming race is expected to generate a lot of mailers and ads.
The Source: Information in this report is from FOX6 News interviews.