Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor defeated Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar to secure a fifth-liberal vote on the state’s supreme court, expanding the progressive majority to 5-2. The former Democratic state representative succeeds a retiring conservative justice in the pivotal contest.
While officially non-partisan, Wisconsin Supreme Court elections have increasingly become fiercely partisan affairs. Last year’s race saw record outside spending and nationwide mobilization efforts, including a high-profile rally headlined by Trump ally Elon Musk, who personally distributed $1 million in checks to voters while wearing a Green Bay Packers-style cheesehead hat.
Taylor’s victory delivered liberals their largest majority on the state supreme court in decades, ending 15 years of conservative control. Since taking office in 2023, the liberal bloc has reversed key election-related rulings made by previous conservative justices, including one that prohibited absentee ballot drop boxes.
The win follows four consecutive victories for liberal candidates in Wisconsin Supreme Court elections and five of the last six such contests. Democratic-aligned contenders have captured 19 out of the past 24 statewide races since 2017. Taylor, a former policy director for Planned Parenthood, strategically emphasized abortion rights and voting access during her campaign while directly targeting President Donald Trump—a tactic that has consistently energized Democratic voters in non-presidential elections across Wisconsin and nationally.