Right-wing Judge Maria Lazar announced early Wednesday morning on Elon Musk’s social media site, X, that she is joining the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The position has been opened by conservative Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, who announced that she would be stepping down at the end of her 2026 term, according to WisPolitics.
Lazar aspires to take her place, running on the basis of restoring fairness, putting an end to politicization and upholding the constitution, according to her profile on X. Her campaign website shares that her run intends to restore justice to the Supreme Court, not place a partisan politician into the court position.
Lazar currently serves as a judge for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Prior to this position, she worked as a judge on Waukesha County’s Circuit court and was an assistant attorney general under Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen in former Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s administration, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In terms of voter issues, Lazar was endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin in her 2022 Court of Appeals Campaign, and represented former Gov. Scott Walker and other defendants in legal challenges to Wisconsin’s voter ID law, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
A Better Wisconsin Together, a research and communication hub for progressives in Wisconsin, issued a press release Wednesday morning detailing their statements on Lazar’s announcement for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Their background report on Lazar spoke on the judge’s opposition to abortion, defense of the Right-Wing agenda, and embrace of election deniers and siding with corporate polluters.
“Maria Lazar embodies right-wing extremism and the willingness to sell us out to the wealthy and to powerful political special interests that Wisconsinites have time and again rejected,” A Better Wisconsin Together states.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court currently holds a 4-3 liberal majority following the nomination of Susan Crawford in April 2025. While the new vacancy brought from Rebecca Bradley’s retirement cannot shift the current majority, it is an opportunity for the expansion of the current majority or a relief for the conservative minority.
Maria Lazar is running against Chris Taylor, another Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge. A victory for Chris Taylor would cement a 5-2 liberal majority in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Wisconsin has proven itself to be a split-ticket state in the 2024 election, voting for a Republican President and a Democratic Senator. According to A Better Wisconsin Together, Wisconsin’s choice on Maria Lazar is crucial for the future of Wisconsin.
