There's big change coming to Wisconsin Supreme Court. Here's an inside look at the justices.
Tamia FowlkesWith Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz's victory over former Supreme Court justice Dan Kelly in the spring election, the Wisconsin Supreme Court's 4-3 conservative majority will shift to a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years.
Protasiewicz will start her 10-year term Aug. 1, replacing retiring conservative Justice Patience D. Roggensack.
Here's a rundown of who's on the court and a look at each of the justices:
Who are the current Wisconsin Supreme Court justices?
- Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler, conservative, term ends 2027.
- Ann Walsh Bradley, liberal, term ends 2025.
- Patience D. Roggensack, conservative, term ends 2023, not seeking re-election.
- Rebecca Grassl Bradley, conservative, term ends 2026.
- Rebecca Frank Dallet, liberal, term ends 2028.
- Brian Hagedorn, conservative, term ends 2029.
- Jill J. Karofsky, liberal, term ends 2030.
About newly elected Janet Protasiewicz
Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, 60, served as a Milwaukee County prosecutor for more than 25 years, prosecuting domestic abuse and other violent crimes. She received her law degree from Marquette Law School and taught as a professor at Marquette.
She was first elected to the Milwaukee County bench in 2013. Currently, she presides over cases in family court and has presided over misdemeanor, homicide, sexual assault and drug cases.
Protasiewicz describes herself as a judicial liberal. Before becoming a judge, she protested against Act 10, which rolled back collective bargaining rights for most public employees, and signed the petition to recall then-Gov. Scott Walker. During this campaign, she has made public her views on abortion, saying that she's pro-choice.
More:Janet Protasiewicz says Act 10 is unconstitutional and she might recuse herself from future cases
About Annette Kingsland Ziegler
Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, 59, was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2007 and was re-elected unopposed in 2017. In 2021, members of the Court chose Ziegler to serve as chief justice, replacing Roggensack, who stepped down from the role. The chief justice oversees the state’s court system and has broad powers over administrative matters.
A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Ziegler received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business administration from Hope College in Holland, Mich., in 1986. She earned her law degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee in 1989. She worked in private practice and as a special assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County, a role she served in 1992 and 1996. In 1997, while serving as an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Gov. Tommy Thompson appointed her to the Washington County Circuit Court.
In 2007, Ziegler beat attorney Linda Clifford for her seat on the Supreme Court in a race that cost about $6 million — a record at the time for a court race. In 2008, shortly after Ziegler joined the high court, her colleagues reprimanded her for handling cases as a circuit court judge involving West Bend Savings Bank, where her husband was a director. She's the only justice in state history to be disciplined by her peers.
About Ann Walsh Bradley
Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, 72, was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1995, defeating future justice Patrick Crooks. She was unopposed for reelection in 2005 and defeated Rock County Circuit Judge James Daley in 2015.
A Richland Center native, Bradley began her career as a high school teacher before getting her law degree at the University of Wisconsin. She worked in private practice for several years before being appointed as a Marathon County Circuit Court judge in 1985.
She was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1995 and re-elected in 2005 and 2015. In 2011, then-Justice David Prosser put his hands on Bradley's neck in front of other justices during an argument. A special prosecutor declined to press charges in the incident and the state Judicial Commission's ethics charges against Prosser stalled when too many justices recused themselves from the case that it couldn't be heard.
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About Patience D. Roggensack
Justice Patience Roggensack, 82, was elected to the Supreme Court in 2003, defeating Barron County Circuit Court Judge Ed Brunner, and reelected in 2013 over Marquette University law professor Ed Fallone.
Roggensack was born in Joliet, Illinois. She received her bachelor's degree in biology from Drake University and was a university research associate before going to the University of Wisconsin Law School, from which she graduated in 1980. She worked in private practice until 1996, when she was elected to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. She was reelected in 2002 and was the first appeals judge to be elected to the Supreme Court.
In 2015, voters approved a constitutional amendment that allowed court justices to choose the chief justice, rather than the position going to the longest-serving justice. Shortly after, Roggensack was elected by her peers as chief justice, replacing longtime chief justice Shirley Abrahamson. Roggensack served as chief justice until 2021.
More:Roggensack hits peers' 'tough talk' with her own
About Rebecca Grassl Bradley
Justice Rebecca Bradley, 51, was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Scott Walker in 2015 and was elected in 2016, defeating Court of Appeals Judge Joanne Kloppenburg.
A Milwaukee native, Bradley graduated from Marquette University with a degree in business administration and business economics in 1993. She got her law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1996. She worked in private practice for 16 years and served as vice president of legal operations for global software company RedPrairie Corporation.
Bradley was appointed by Walker as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge in 2012 and was elected in 2013. Walker appointed her again, as a Court of Appeals judge, in 2015 before appointing her to the high court five months later. She's not related to Ann Walsh Bradley.
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About Rebecca Frank Dallet
Justice Rebecca Dallet, 53, was elected to the Supreme Court in 2018, defeating Sauk County Judge Michael Screnock.
A Cleveland, Ohio, native, Dallet got a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1994. After law school, she clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Aaron Goodstein in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. She then served as a Milwaukee County assistant district attorney from 1996 to 1999 and from 2002 to 2007, and as a special assistant U.S. attorney from 1999 to 2002.
In 2007, Dallet was appointed the first female presiding court commissioner for Milwaukee County. She also was an adjunct law professor at Marquette University from 2005 to 2008. She was elected as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge in 2008 and was re-elected in 2014.
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About Brian Hagedorn
Justice Brian Hagedorn, 45, was elected to the Supreme Court in 2019, defeating Court of Appeals judge Lisa Neubauer.
A Milwaukee-area native, Hagedorn got a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Trinity International University in 2000 and a law degree from Northwestern University in 2006. Before entering law school, he worked for Hewitt Associates for three years. After law school, Hagedorn was an attorney with the Milwaukee firm Foley & Lardner. In 2009, he became a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. A year later, he joined the Wisconsin Department of Justice as an assistant attorney general.
In December 2010, Hagedorn became the chief legal counsel for Gov. Scott Walker. In 2015, Walker appointed him to the Court of Appeals. As a Supreme Court justice, Hagedorn is part of the conservative faction of the court, but he has sided with the liberal faction on several high-profile decisions.
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About Jill J. Karofsky
Justice Jill J. Karofsky, 56, was elected to the Supreme Court in 2020, defeating incumbent justice Daniel Kelly.
A Middleton native, Karofsky has a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a master's and law degree from the University of Wisconsin. In 1992, she started as a Dane County assistant district attorney and was later promoted to deputy district attorney. She also has worked as director of human resources and general counsel for the National Conference of Bar Examiners and as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
In 2011, she joined the Wisconsin Department of Justice as an assistant attorney general. At the DOJ, she served as the state's first violence against women resource prosecutor and as the executive director of the Wisconsin Office of Crime Victim Services. In 2017, she was elected as a Dane County Circuit Court judge.