Anonymous wrote:A big lift for Wisconsin’s left.
Liberals will now hold a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court through at least 2028, barring any unexpected vacancies. That means abortion and labor rights in the state are all but certain to get a favorable hearing.
At the national level, Judge Crawford’s election could soon lead to a redrawing of Wisconsin’s Republican-tilted congressional maps. Democrats believe that could produce a swing of two seats.
For the state’s Democrats, the court seat also provides a critical backstop in an era of divided state government. With a Democrat as governor and Republicans in control of the State Legislature (though Democrats are optimistic about reclaiming a majority in at least one chamber next year), it will continue to fall to the court to litigate key disputes. The justices in recent years have served as superlegislators, directing policy when the rest of the government is at a stalemate.
I also read that there will be two more Supreme Court elections in WI in 2026 and 2027, and those are both for seats that are currently held by a conservative. So IF the liberal candidates were to win both those seats (which is very possible, given they've won 4 of the past 5 in the state) that means the balance could be 6 to 1!! That's pretty cool.
(And, like you said, even if the conservative justices were to keep their seats in those two elections, it would still be a 4-3 liberal majority as it is right now.)