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MADISON, Wis. — The longest-serving member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 4-3 liberal majority announced Thursday she would not run for reelection next spring, shaking up a consequential race in a swing state and improving the odds that conservatives can retake the control they lost last year.
Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who has served on the court since 1995, told The Washington Post ahead of her announcement that she is confident someone who shares her judicial philosophy can replace her after she completes her term.
Bradley said her career on the bench showed she is dedicated to maintaining an independent judiciary, making the courts accessible to all, holding government accountable and protecting people’s rights.
In December, five months after Protasiewicz was sworn in, the court’s liberals struck down election maps that since 2011 have all but guaranteed Republican control of the state legislature.
Even before the court ruled, Republican lawmakers discussed impeaching Protasiewicz, saying she had prejudged the redistricting case by calling the GOP maps “rigged” during her campaign.
Bradley initially planned to seek a fourth 10-year term on the court, announcing on the night Protasiewicz won her seat that she was running for reelection.