Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Court of Appeals Judges Chris Taylor speaks during the Wisconsin Supreme Court debate hosted by WISN 12 News on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at WISN-TV in Milwaukee. (Jovanny Hernandez/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Chris Taylor, a liberal, has been elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, defeating conservative judge Maria Lazar.

Taylor secured a convincing victory in the Tuesday election. With 99% of precincts reporting as of Wednesday, she led over Lazar by a total of 905,157 votes (60%) to Lazar’s 600,044 votes (40%).

The 58-year-old will be sworn in to a ten-year term on the court on Aug. 1 and replace retiring conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley. Taylor previously worked as a private practice attorney, the policy director for Planned Parenthood Wisconsin and as a Democratic state representative in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2011-20.

Liberals expand their majority

With Taylor’s win, the liberals will expand their majority on the court to 5-2, a majority they are guaranteed to hold until at least 2030. Taylor is the third liberal justice to win a Wisconsin Supreme Court election in the last three years, after Janet Protasiewicz in 2023 and Susan Crawford in 2025.

Justice Annette Ziegler, one of the two remaining conservatives on the court, is the next justice to expire in 2027. Ziegler, who served as chief justice from 2021-25, announced last month that she would not seek another term, giving liberals their fourth straight chance to flip an open seat.

Abortion rights

Taylor has expressed strong support for women’s reproductive rights over her career, which became a contentious issue during the only debate between her and Lazar last week. Taylor said she would have voted with the other liberal justices last year when they struck down Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban from 1849, which all three conservative justices voted to implement.

Taylor also criticized Lazar’s views on reproductive rights, which includes support for a fetal heartbeat bill. During an interview last October, Lazar also said the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision, which overturned federal abortion rights protections under Roe v. Wade, was “very wise.”

The liberal justices restored abortion access in Wisconsin after it was cut off for 449 days in the state. Procedures are currently legal up to 20 weeks, with other restrictions still in place under the Republican-controlled state legislature.

Fundraising

Taylor dominated fundraising in the race, with nearly $5.6 million raised compared to Lazar’s $904,000 as of March 31. Taylor also received a substantial $700,000 transfer from the Wisconsin Democratic Party, while the state Republican Party contributed just $60,000 to Lazar. State Supreme Court candidates do not run as party members but can accept unlimited donations from political parties.

Taylor’s victory also continues a string of Democratic wins in Wisconsin, including the two previous Supreme Court wins, Sen. Tammy Baldin’s (D-WI) reelection in 2024 and the removal of gerrymandered state maps that favored Republicans.

The Wisconsin Democrats have also far-outpaced their GOP counterpart in fundraising in recent years, giving liberals high hopes that they can flip one or both chambers of the state legislature this year with several Republican leaders set to retire.