The race for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is in its final stretch, before next week's high-stakes election. Nearly 500,000 votes have already been cast — and it's shaping up to be the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.
The April 1 election between the liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and a conservative judge from Waukesha County, Brad Schimel, has garnered national attention. That's because it's the first major election since President Trump was elected to a second term in November, and it's seen as a test of how voters feel about the new administration, and particularly about the billionaire Elon Musk, Trump's senior adviser, whose Department of Government Efficiency has slashed the size of the federal workforce.
The outcome could have implications for the battleground state — which Trump narrowly won by less than a percentage point — in future national elections. With the stakes set high, it has already shattered the national spending record for a state Supreme Court race at $81 million as of March 25, according to a tally from the Brennan Center for Justice. (The previous record was set in 2023, when $51 million was spent in a race for a different Wisconsin Supreme Court seat.)
Here’s what to know ahead of Tuesday’s election in the Badger State.
What’s at stake?
Voters will decide the ideological control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It currently has a 4-3 liberal majority in a state with a Democratic governor and a Republican-controlled state Legislature in both chambers. Two years ago, voters notably flipped the state Supreme Court’s ideological majority from conservative to liberal for the first time since 2008.
The seven justices will play a critical role in ruling on policies ranging from abortion to labor rights and possibly congressional redistricting.
Abortion: In Wisconsin, the procedure is currently banned at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later. The state's high court is currently weighing whether to revive an abortion law from 1849 that stated that anyone who killed a fetus was guilty of manslaughter unless the act was to save the mother's life. A Dane County judge's ruling last year invalidated the ban, but Sheboygan County's Republican district attorney has appealed the ruling and has asked the state Supreme Court to overturn the decision, on which it has yet to make a ruling.
Meanwhile, in a separate lawsuit filed in February, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has asked the state Supreme Court to rule directly on whether a constitutional right to abortion exists in Wisconsin. Oral arguments have not yet been scheduled after the justices agreed to hear the case.
Labor rights: The state Supreme Court is preparing to hear an appeal to a Dane County judge's ruling that struck down Act 10, which is a 2011 law that limits public employees' collective bargaining rights. One of the conservative justices, who had helped write Act 10, recused himself back in January from hearing the appeal.
Congressional redistricting: In the closely divided state, Democrats have criticized the way the Wisconsin congressional map has been drawn, claiming that it heavily favors Republicans. In Wisconsin, there are a total of eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the 2024 election, Republicans won six seats, while Democrats won the other two.
If congressional redistricting comes before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and district lines are redrawn considerably, it could potentially swing the balance of power on Capitol Hill during the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.
A nonpartisan election turned partisan
Wisconsin's Supreme Court elections are technically nonpartisan, which means judges are listed on the ballot without an indication of their political affiliation. But this race has turned partisan. Trump has endorsed Schimel, while former President Barack Obama has endorsed Crawford.
Schimel's candidacy has also been boosted by Musk, the world's richest man and the CEO of Tesla. Groups connected to the billionaire have spent more than $17 million, while his America Political Action Committee (PAC) has offered $100 to any Wisconsin voter who signs a petition against "activist judges."
Musk announced in a post on X Thursday that he plans to hold a rally Sunday night in Wisconsin "limited to those who have voted in the Supreme Court election." (He did not say how he would verify voters). He also said he will "personally hand over" two checks worth $1 million each to two separate voters who have already cast their ballot in the election. However, a state law bars giving anyone anything of value in exchange for voting in an election.
Musk is currently suing Wisconsin to overturn a state law that prevents him from opening Tesla dealerships in the state. The case could make it all the way to the state's Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Crawford has received her own support from billionaire Democrats like George Soros, the investor and philanthropist, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Who are the current justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court?
In Wisconsin, justices are elected for 10-year terms. Crawford and Schimel are vying for the seat that will be vacated this summer after the departure of liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley.
Justice Rebecca Bradley (conservative): term ends 2026
Chief Justice Annette Ziegler (conservative): term ends 2027
Justice Rebecca Dallet (liberal): term ends 2028
Justice Brian Hagedorn (conservative): term ends 2029
Justice Jill J. Karofsky (liberal): term ends 2030
Justice Janet C. Protasiewicz (liberal): term ends 2033
Based on when each of these terms ends, there will be a Wisconsin Supreme Court race every year for the next six years, including 2025.
