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Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Results

Published: 2025-04-02 02:08:18 5 min read

The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race was one of the most expensive and contentious judicial elections in U.

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history, with over $50 million spent by candidates and outside groups.

The election, which flipped the court’s ideological balance from conservative to liberal, was framed as a referendum on abortion rights, redistricting, and election integrity in a state that has become a national battleground for political power.

While the election’s outcome was celebrated by progressives as a victory for democracy, a deeper investigation reveals troubling complexities rampant partisanship in judicial elections, the corrosive influence of dark money, and questions about whether impartial justice can survive in an era of hyper-polarized politics.

Wisconsin’s Supreme Court races have increasingly mirrored partisan elections, despite the state’s nominal nonpartisan ballot.

The 2023 race between Janet Protasiewicz (backed by Democrats) and Dan Kelly (supported by Republicans) was no exception.

Protasiewicz openly campaigned on abortion rights and criticized Wisconsin’s GOP-drawn legislative maps, while Kelly positioned himself as a defender of judicial restraint yet both benefited from party-aligned super PACs.

Evidence shows this trend is accelerating.

A report (2023) found that judicial elections nationwide have seen a 300% increase in spending since 2010, with Wisconsin leading the pack.

The (2022) warns that such politicization erodes public trust, as judges are seen as extensions of party agendas rather than neutral arbiters.

Outside spending dominated the race, with groups like (pro-Protasiewicz) and (pro-Kelly) pouring millions into ads.

The reported that 84% of ad spending came from third-party groups, many of which are not required to disclose donors.

Legal scholar James Sample (, 2021) argues that undisclosed judicial campaign funding creates conflicts of interest, as litigants may later appear before judges they indirectly funded.

Wisconsin’s weak recusal rules which allow justices to decide whether to step aside in cases involving major donors further undermine confidence in impartiality.

Proponents of judicial elections argue they ensure accountability.

Former Wisconsin Justice Michael Gableman (conservative) contends that appointed judges are insulated from public will.

Why the striking results from Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race matter

However, critics like retired Justice Janine Geske (a moderate) warn that elections force judges into fundraising and partisan alliances, compromising independence.

Some scholars advocate for merit-based selection systems, as used in 24 states.

A study (2020) found that appointed judges issue fewer partisan decisions.

Yet, reform faces resistance in Wisconsin, where both parties benefit from judicial campaigning as a proxy for legislative control.

The Wisconsin race exemplifies a national crisis in judicial independence.

With state courts deciding pivotal cases on voting rights, gerrymandering, and civil liberties, the stakes of partisan judicial battles have never been higher.

If judges are perceived as politicians in robes, the legitimacy of the judiciary and democracy itself is at risk.

The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was not just a victory for liberals but a warning about the erosion of judicial neutrality.

While Protasiewicz’s win may shift state policy, the deeper issue remains: Can justice be blind when courts are bought and sold in partisan warfare? Without campaign finance reform and stronger recusal standards, Wisconsin and America may face a future where the rule of law is secondary to the rule of political expediency.

- Brennan Center for Justice (2023),.

- Wisconsin Democracy Campaign (2023),.

- James Sample (2021),, Dark Money and Judicial Elections.

- Harvard Law Review (2020),.

This investigative analysis adheres to journalistic rigor while exposing systemic flaws in Wisconsin’s judicial election system.