Wisconsin Supreme Court race: Crawford, Schimel speak at Marquette

MILWAUKEE - Voters will elect Wisconsin's newest Supreme Court justice in four weeks. With majority control up for grabs, it's arguably the most impactful Wisconsin election of 2025.

Who are the candidates?

The backstory:

Supreme Court candidates are officially non-partisan. But liberals are backing Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, while conservatives are supporting Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel.

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Crawford was previously a prosecutor and an attorney who, at one time, represented Planned Parenthood. She was also part of former Democrat Gov. Jim Doyle's administration. Schimel was previously Waukesha County's district attorney and Wisconsin's Republican attorney general.

Marquette hosts forums

What they're saying:

Marquette University recently hosted separate forums with both Crawford and Schimel for supporters to get to know the candidates. The questions mainly focused around experience, philosophies and plans to remain impartial if given the seat.

On their experience

Crawford: "I have such broad experience going from criminal prosecution to all the administrative work that I did, and now in private practice, covering many different area of law, and now as a judge."

Schimel: "It’s the time on the front lines where I got to see close up the challenges people face. The notion that there are always two sides to every story."

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On judicial philosophy

Crawford: "I’m a pragmatist, and that means I pay really close attention to the context of the decision that I am making. I don’t look at legal decisions as abstract principles."

Schimel: "What a judicial conservative does is the foundation of what you do is you don’t make law…Interpret law when you have to, but you apply the law as it's written."

On remaining impartial

Crawford: "As a judge, you learn to check yourself and make sure that you’re able to make fair and impartial decisions."

Schimel: "It’s actually not just easy, it's liberating. Everything is political now – our personal lives, even shows."

Control of the court

Dig deeper:

Liberals have held control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court since 2023, when Janet Proterowicz won election. That flipped the court to the left and ended 15 years of conservative control.

Since then, the court has decided some national attention-grabbing issues, including striking down Republican-drawn legislative maps, which was a decision that took a dent out of the Republican majority in Madison. The court also reversed itself on absentee ballot drop boxes, allowing them once again.

When is the election?

What's next:

The election is on Tuesday, April 1.

Editor's note: The forum with Schimel was held on Feb. 18. The forum with Crawford was held on Feb. 28.