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Wisconsin’s Spring Election is April 7, and the most high-profile race is the State Supreme Court seat vacated by conservative judge Rebecca Bradley. So who better to talk with than someone who put the court at the center of an entire podcast season?
“Right now, the liberals are in the majority of the court. So, there are seven seats on the court, liberals hold four of those.”
That’s how Sam Woods, producer and co-host of WUWM’s Swing State of the Union, started his high-level explanation.
“Now it doesn’t quite work like a political party kind of thing,” he continued, “but when we’re talking about cases like abortion rights or redistricting or cases that involve hot-button issues, it tends to kind of side with that ideological — liberals go one way, conservatives go another.”
Season two of Swing State of the Union focused on 2025’s expensive Supreme Court race that saw Dane County circuit judge Susan M. Crawford receive 55% of the vote compared with former state attorney general Brad Schimel’s 45%. In their podcast, Woods and co-host Joy Powers explained how Wisconsin’s highest court works — something they continue for this year’s race.
The two candidates vying for a 10-year term are both judges for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals: liberal Chris Taylor (a former state representative) and conservative Maria Lazar. If Taylor wins, it would expand the court’s liberal majority to a 6-3 margin. If Lazar wins, the court would remain as is — at least for now for now.
“So we are in the middle of a run where every single year for six years — through 2030 — there is a Supreme Court seat up for grabs,” Woods explained. “Between now and the next few years, conservatives are coming off the bench because they won a lot in the 2010s.”
Beyond the court, Wisconsin’s government is split. There’s a Democratic governor and attorney general, and a Republican-controlled state Legislature. Depending on who wins the governor’s seat this November, Woods says there could be even more focus on the court.
“We’re at a time where the federal government is taking an approach of, ‘We’re going to leave big decisions to the states,’” he said. “For example, the U.S. Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade and so, in an instant, abortion rights went from ‘This is what the law is everywhere’ to ‘We’re just going to do state-by-state.’ And so now what you’re electing for the Supreme Court of Wisconsin is likely going to decide what is constitutionally guaranteed.”
Next spring, yet another seat will be up for grabs: the one currently occupied by conservative Justice Annette Ziegler, who announced she will step down after serving since 2007.
But before then, there’s the matter of the 2026 spring election. Woods and Powers go even deeper into the court with the two bonus episodes they’re releasing in March, asking questions about accountability and interpretation of the State Constitution.
“Our first episode dives into, ‘What does accountability for judges and justices look like in the Trump era, where everything is seen through a partisan lens?’” Woods said. “In the second episode, we dive into, ‘What does it mean when we say “interpret the constitution?”’ Like, why can’t you just read the words on the page and say, ‘That’s it.’
“We also talk to the candidates about their method of interpreting the constitution and what they stand for.”
There are many local races this spring, too, including all 18 members of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, whose decisions impact our parks, public transit, mental health services and more. Dozens of municipalities also have referendums on issues, including school funding.
Wisconsin’s Spring Election is April 7. For more information on who and what is on your ballot, check out WUWM’s Voter Guide. You can also visit their website to find both seasons of Swing State of the Union, plus the two most recent bonus episodes.
