Conservative Wisconsin appeals court judge Maria Lazar running for state Supreme Court

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A conservative Wisconsin appeals court judge announced Wednesday she is running for an open seat on the battleground state’s Supreme Court, promising to stop the politicization of the courts after record-high spending in the last race fueled by billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros.

Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar, who formerly worked as a prosecutor for the Wisconsin Department of Justice, is the first conservative to get into the race, which will be decided in April. Liberal Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state lawmaker, also is running.

Conservative candidates for the high court have lost each of the past two elections by double-digit margins. Both of those races broke national spending records, and a liberal won in April despite spending by Musk, who campaigned for the conservative and handed out $1 million checks to three supporters.

Lazar, 61, said she was disturbed by the massive spending and partisan politics of those races. Both the Republican and Democratic parties were heavily involved in the last campaign.

“We must stop the politicization of our courts,” Lazar said in a campaign launch video.

Lazar pitched herself as an “independent, impartial judge” who will “stop the destruction of our courts.” She also promised “never to be swayed by political decisions” when ruling.

Liberal candidates have won four of the past five Supreme Court races, resulting in them taking a 4-3 majority in 2023 to end a 15-year run of conservative control. If liberals lose the April election, they would still maintain their majority until at least 2028. And if they win in April, it would increase to 5-2.

Several high-profile issues could make their way to the court in the coming months, including cases involving abortion, collective bargaining rights, congressional redistricting and election rules.

The race is open after incumbent conservative Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley announced in August that she would not seek another 10-year term.

Lazar, in her launch video, contrasted herself with Taylor by saying she “has always been a politician first.”

She noted that she was appointed as a Dane County circuit judge by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in 2020 without having any prior experience on the bench. Taylor won election to the circuit court in 2021 and to the appeals court in 2023.

Lazar will start at a financial disadvantage. Taylor’s campaign said in August that she had already raised more than $1 million.

Lazar, who has been on the state court of appeals since 2022, worked in private practice for 20 years before joining the state Department of Justice as an assistant attorney general in 2011.

During her four years there, she was involved in several high-profile cases, including defending a law under then-Gov. Scott Walker that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. Known as Act 10, the statute was upheld by the state Supreme Court in 2011 at a time when it was controlled by conservative justices.

A circuit court judge ruled in December that it is unconstitutional but put that decision on hold pending appeal. It could end up before the state’s high court, raising questions about whether Lazar could hear it given her previous involvement.

Lazar also defended laws passed by Republicans and signed by Walker implementing a voter ID requirement and restricting access to abortion.

Lazar left the Justice Department after being elected circuit court judge in Waukesha in 2015. She held that post until being elected to the state appeals court.