Wisconsin Supreme Court Judge Resigns, Issues Final Warning
Wisconsin conservatives are facing a major judicial showdown after Justice Rebecca Bradley, one of the most reliably conservative voices on the state’s highest court, announced she will not seek re-election. Her departure guarantees an open race in 2026 for a seat on a court already controlled 4–3 by liberals.
Justice Bradley, who has been a fierce defender of constitutional principles and limited government, delivered a blunt warning in her retirement announcement.
“For years I have warned that under the control of judicial activists, the court will make itself more powerful than the legislature, more powerful than the governor,” Bradley said. “That warning went unheeded, and Wisconsin has seen only the beginning of what an alarming shift from thoughtful, principled judicial service toward bitter partisanship, personal attacks, and political gamesmanship is that have no place in court.”
She added: “The conservative movement needs to take stock of its failures, identify the problem, and fix it. I will not seek reelection to the Wisconsin Supreme Court because I believe the best path for me to rebuild the conservative movement and fight for liberty is not as a minority member of the Court.”
Bradley’s exit is a serious blow for Wisconsin conservatives. Liberals have already won four of the last five statewide Supreme Court contests, including a 2023 race that shattered national spending records. That election flipped control of the court after 15 years of conservative leadership.
If liberals capture Bradley’s seat, they will expand their majority to 5–2 until at least 2028, cementing leftist control over the court’s decisions on abortion, redistricting, union bargaining, and election laws.
Bradley’s record made her a bulwark against progressive judicial activism. She opposed the July ruling that gutted Wisconsin’s 1849 pro-life statute, and she sided with conservatives in upholding a law that limited government unions’ bargaining power. That law, which helped restore balance to state finances, is now being targeted again by liberal activists and may soon be revisited under the court’s leftist majority.
She also joined conservative colleagues in arguing that ballot drop boxes were not permitted under Wisconsin law. Although the court initially agreed, the ruling was later reversed, weakening election safeguards in a state that both parties view as a critical 2024 and 2028 battleground.
Bradley’s retirement announcement comes as Chris Taylor, a far-left judge on the state appeals court, has already declared his candidacy for the seat. This ensures the 2026 election will become a national flashpoint, drawing money, attention, and activists from across the country.
The stakes could not be higher. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court is poised to decide questions that directly affect the integrity of elections and the sanctity of life—issues that conservatives believe should not be dictated by activist judges but by the Constitution and the will of the people.
The election to replace Justice Bradley will take place on April 7, 2026, with her term officially ending on July 31 of that year.