Judicial election in the U.S. state of Wisconsin
The2019 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, to elect a justice to theWisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. The Incumbent justice,Shirley Abrahamson , retired after 43 years on the court, the longest in the history of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[ 1] Brian Hagedorn narrowly defeated Chief Judge of theWisconsin Court of Appeals Lisa Neubauer , shifting the ideology of the court towards conservatives.
This is the most recent time that a conservative candidate has won election to the court. It is also the only contested supreme court election election held since2016 that did not see a liberal candidate win at least 55% of the vote against a conservative candidate (as has been the outcomes of the2018 ,2020 ,2023 , and2025 elections).[ 2]
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(July 2025 )
The 2018 and 2019 elections are the fifth instance in the court's history in which two consecutive elections were for open seats (without anincumbent running).[ a]
There was no primary held, because only two candidates ran. Had a third candidate qualified for the ballot, a primary would have been held. It is rare for contested Wisconsin Supreme Court races to be held without the need for a primary, with this being the first such instance since1978 , and the last until2025 .[ 3]
There was no Supreme Court primary in 2019, as only two candidates ran for the seat.
Brian Hagedorn
Judicial officials
Organizations
Labor unions
Political parties
Lisa Neubauer
Judicial officials
19 current and former Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges[ 18] Labor unions
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(March 2025 )
By congressional district [ edit ] ^ The five previous instances in Wisconsin state history in which consecutive supreme court elections have been for open seats were:[ 3] 2023 and2025 elections both being for open seats.[ 3] ^ Marley, Patrick (December 20, 2020)."Shirley Abrahamson, longest-serving member of Wisconsin Supreme Court, dies at 87" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . RetrievedMarch 14, 2025 . ^ Coleman, J. Miles; Kondik, Kyle (April 2, 2025)."Conservatives Fall Well Short Again in Wisconsin Court Race; Shades of 2017 in Florida Special Elections" .Sabato's Crystal Ball . RetrievedApril 3, 2025 . ^a b c Ostermeier, Dr Eric (January 13, 2025)."Wisconsin Supreme Court 2025 Election by the Numbers" .Smart Politics (University of Minnesota) . RetrievedJuly 5, 2025 . ^ "Hagedorn announces bid for state Supreme Court" .WisPolitics . RetrievedMarch 15, 2025 .^ "Neubauer formally launches bid for state Supreme Court" .WisPolitics . RetrievedMarch 15, 2025 .^ Johnson, Shawn (May 30, 2018)."Longtime Wisconsin Justice Shirley Abrahamson Won't Seek Re-Election" .Wisconsin Public Radio . RetrievedMarch 14, 2025 . ^ DeFour, Matthew (June 12, 2018)."Jefferson County DA Susan Happ considering a run for Supreme Court in 2019" .Wisconsin State Journal the original on April 5, 2025. ^ "Waukesha County Judge Lazar considering Supreme Court run" .Wisconsin Law Journal ^ "Lazar campaign: Declines to run for Wisconsin state Supreme Court" .wispolitics.com . November 26, 2018.^a b c "Hagedorn campaign: Announces candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court" .wispolitics.com . August 16, 2018.^a b "Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Jon Wilcox and David Prosser Endorse Hagedorn for Supreme Court" .Urban Milwaukee . January 22, 2019.^ "NRA Endorses Brian Hagedorn for Wisconsin Supreme Court" .NRA-PVF ^ "PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN PAC ENDORSES JUDGE BRIAN HAGEDORN FOR WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT" .ProLifeWI . February 27, 2019.^ "Group revokes endorsement of Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate" .WISN-TV ^ "Wisconsin Right to Life PAC Endorses Brian Hagedorn for Wisconsin Supreme Court" .Wisconsin Right to Life . March 7, 2019.^ "Judge Hagedorn: Milwaukee Police Association endorses Hagedorn for Supreme Court" .Wispolitics.com . March 11, 2019.^a b Bice, Daniel (March 2, 2019)."Bice: Political party ties run deep for Supreme Court candidates Neubauer and Hagedorn" .Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the original on April 5, 2025. ^ "Neubauer campaign: Supreme Court candidate Judge Lisa Neubauer announces support from more than 200 judges across Wisconsin" .wispolitics.com . August 20, 2018.^ "Teamsters Joint Council 39 Endorses Neubauer For Wisconsin Supreme Court" (Press release). January 30, 2019.^ "NEUBAUER FOR SUPREME COURT" .WI AFL-CIO . February 11, 2019.^ "Wisconsin Building Trades Endorse Judge Lisa Neubauer" (PDF) .^ "Citizen Action 2019 Spring Election Endorsements" .Citizen Action Wisconsin ^ "HRC Endorses Judge Lisa Neubauer for the Wisconsin Supreme Court" .Human Rights Campaign ^ "Eric Holder's Group Spending $350K To Help Supreme Court Candidate Lisa Neubauer" .Wisconsin Public Radio ^ "Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin Announces Judicial Endorsements" .Planned Parenthood Action ^ "Wisconsin Working Families Party: Endorses Judge Lisa Neubauer for Supreme Court" .wispolitics.com . February 6, 2019.^ "Editorial: Judge Neubauer will be an outstanding Supreme Court justice" .The Cap Times ^ "Shepherd Express Enthusiastically Endorses Lisa Neubauer" .The Shepherd Express ^ "Our endorsement for Wisconsin Supreme Court: Lisa Neubauer" .Wisconsin State Journal the original on April 5, 2025.^ Johnson, Shawn (March 15, 2019)."Hagedorn, Neubauer Spar Over Political Ties During Supreme Court Debate" .Wisconsin Public Radio ^ Silver, Maayan (March 19, 2019)."Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidates Face Off, Address Partisanship & Past" .WUWM ^ "Wisconsin Supreme Court Debate To Air Live On WISN 12" .Urban Milwaukee . RetrievedMarch 14, 2025 .^ "Election results and Wisconsin parties" (PDF) .Wisconsin Blue Book 2019-2020 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 2019. pp. 618– 620.ISBN 978-1-7333817-0-3 . RetrievedMarch 15, 2025 .
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