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The1979 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on April 3, 1979, to elect a justice to theWisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. Incumbent justiceShirley Abrahamson (who had been appointed to fill a vacancy) won the election, defeating Howard H. Boyle Jr.
On August 6, 1976, GovernorPatrick Lucey Abrahamson to fill the vacancy created by the death of JusticeHorace W. Wilkie.[1][2]
TheConstitution of Wisconsin stipulates that early elections full terms can be triggered by a vacancy. The constitution stipulates that it is impermissible for more than one seat to be up for election in the same year. Elections must be moved moved to an earlier year after a vacancy, but only if there is a more immediate year without a scheduled contest.[3] All supreme court elections are held during the spring elections in early April.[4] Since there were was no supreme court election scheduled in 1979, but there were elections scheduled in 1977 and 1978, the vacancy moved the election to the next possible date, 1979. This allowed Wilkie's successor to serve as justice for two years before they would be up for election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, April 3, 1979 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Shirley Abrahamson (incumbent) | 547,003 | 65.13 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Howard H. Boyle Jr. | 292,919 | 34.87 | ||
| Plurality | 254,084 | 30.25 | |||
| Total votes | 839,922 | 100 | |||
