Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley announces she'll seek another 10-year term

MADISON - Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley said this week she plans to seek another 10-year term in 2026, setting in motion another high-pitched battle for a seat on the state's highest court.

Bradley, a member of the court's conservative minority, told Wispolitics.com she is running to “ensure that there is a voice for the constitution and for the rule of law to preserve that in the state of Wisconsin.”

“I’m concerned for what an extremely radical court is going to do over the next three years, and I will be spending the next several weeks assessing what happened on Tuesday and figuring out a path to achieving a court that is not led by and dominated by the radical left, that gets back to deciding cases under the law and respecting the constitution,” Bradley told WisPolitics.

Bradley did not immediately respond to a request for an interview from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

State appeals judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state lawmaker, told the Journal Sentinel on Saturday she is considering running for the seat.

Bradley, appointed to the court by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2015 and elected for a full 10-year term in 2016, announced just days after liberals secured control of the court until 2028.

By running for re-election, Bradley gives conservatives a candidate who already has experience on the court. Liberal candidates have won four of the last five Supreme Court elections, each by double digits.

If conservatives lose Bradley's seat, the court's liberal majority will grow to 5-2.

Bradley also has been floated as a contender to replace retiring federal judge Diane Sykes on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which would be a lifetime appointment.

She told Wispolitics she is focused on Wisconsin at the moment.

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.