(The Center Square) – Conservative Wisconsin state Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler announced on Monday that she will not be seeking reelection.
Ziegler first was elected to the court in 2007 and was reelected in 2017 without opposition, the only time that has occurred in two decades.
“While I will not be a candidate next year, my appreciation for the people of Wisconsin and the judicial system I have been privileged to serve in remains as strong as ever,” Ziegler said in a statement. “I look forward to finishing out the rest of my term on the court and handing the baton to a new justice in 2027.”
The ideological makeup of the court has been a high-stakes issue in the state in recent years with record spending last year in the race won by Susan Crawford over Brad Schimel that left the court with four liberal justices and three conservatives.
Conservative Maria Lazar and liberal Chris Taylor are set for an April 7 election to fill the seat of conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley.
Before reaching the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Ziegler was a judge in Washington County and then a District III Deputy Chief Judge.
Before that, Ziegler was an assistant U.S. attorney, and a special assistant district attorney as well as working in private practice following her graduation from Marquette University Law School.
“I am incredibly proud that in all my elections I had support from a broad spectrum of legal, civic, law enforcement and political leaders – both Democrats and Republicans – who believed in my commitment to fairness, ethics and the rule of law,” Ziegler said. “I am also grateful to my colleagues on the Supreme Court, both past and present, for their faith in me by choosing me to serve as chief justice for two terms.”
