Parade crash judge mulls Wisconsin Supreme Court run

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Judge Jennifer Dorow drew fan mail and gifts from people who admired her handling of the often disruptive actions of a man on trial for killing six people by driving through a Christmas parade.

Now she’s the popular choice of some Republicans to run next year in hopes of sealing a conservative majority on a Wisconsin Supreme Court that has delivered critical victories for the GOP over the past decade. Liberals are prioritizing the race as a way to flip control of the court heading into the 2024 presidential election.

There are already two liberal candidates and a conservative former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice running. A Feb. 21 primary will narrow the field to two finalists for the April 4 election.

The high court has been bitterly partisan for more than a decade, with conservatives firmly in control during that period. Their majority upheld a law that effectively ended collective bargaining for public workers; approved Republican-drawn legislative maps that maintained districts rated as among the nation's most gerrymandered; overturned a stay-at-home order issued during COVID-19; and banned absentee ballot drop boxes.

In 2020, the court did reject a challenge by Donald Trump aiming to overturn his election loss to President Joe Biden in the state. But both sides are girding for more election-related lawsuits surrounding the 2024 election.

“Everything will be on the table if the majority of the court switches from conservative to liberal,” said Brandon Scholz, who ran two campaigns for the conservative justice whose retirement created the vacancy and the opportunity for liberals to flip majority control.

Major issues that could come before the new court next year include the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban. The...