Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2017
 |
State executive offices • State judges • Local judges • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • How to run for office |
 |
| 2017 Election Dates | |
|---|---|
| Deadline to file candidacy | |
| January 3, 2017 | |
| Primary election | |
| February 21, 2017 | |
| General election | |
| April 4, 2017 | |
| 2017 State Supreme Court Elections | |
|---|---|
2018 »
« 2016
| |
 | |
| Judicial Elections Overview | |
| Supreme Courts Overview | |
| Pennsylvania | |
| Wisconsin | |
Have you subscribed yet?
Join the hundreds of thousands of readers trusting Ballotpedia to keep them up to date with the latest political news. Sign up for the Daily Brew.
|
One seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court was up for election on April 4, 2017. Justice Annette Ziegler was elected to the court in 2007 for a 10-year term and needed to stand for re-election in 2017 in order to serve another term. She ran unopposed.[1] Because she was unopposed, the seat did not appear on the ballot in Wisconsin's February primary election but instead appeared only on the ballot for the April 4 general election.
Candidates
Justice Annette Ziegler
On the supreme court bench since 2007. She was unopposed.
About the Wisconsin Supreme Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are elected to 10-year terms in statewide, nonpartisan elections. Wisconsin holds state judicial elections every year, but in some years, no state supreme court justice's term will end and therefore no justice will be up for election. Only one seat may be elected in any year. In the event of a vacancy on the court, the governor has the power and the duty to appoint an individual to the vacancy; that justice must then stand for election in the first subsequent year in which no other justice's term expires, depending on the time of year of the appointment.[2]
Qualifications
Under Article VII, Section 24 of the Wisconsin Constitution, to qualify for a judgeship in Wisconsin, a person must be:
- Licensed to practice law in Wisconsin for a minimum of five years immediately prior to election or appointment;
- Under the age of 70.[3]
For the ballot access and campaign finance requirements for candidates in Wisconsin, see Ballotpedia's Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Wisconsin.
Chief justice
The justices of the supreme court vote to elect a chief justice for a term of two years. [2]
Justices
While Wisconsin Supreme Court elections are nonpartisan, Ballotpedia collects information about the political affiliations of judges in order to provide insight into court decisions. At the time of the election, the balance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court was 5-2 in favor of Republican-affiliated justices. The court's newest member, Justice Daniel Kelly, was appointed in 2016 by Republican Gov. Scott Walker to succeed retired Justice David Prosser.
■ Chief Justice Patience Roggensack
■ Justice Shirley Abrahamson
■ Justice Ann Walsh Bradley
■ Justice Rebecca Bradley
■ Justice Michael Gableman
■ Justice Daniel Kelly
■ Justice Annette Ziegler
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Wisconsin
Election process
Judicial elections in Wisconsin are nonpartisan. The top two candidates in the primary election, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.
Primary election
A primary is held on the third Tuesday in February to nominate judicial candidates for the spring election.[4] A primary is required if more than two candidates file for nomination to the supreme court, the same district of an appellate court, or for the same branch of a circuit court.[4] If the number of candidates for office does not exceed twice the number to be elected to the office, a primary is not held and all the candidates will appear on the ballot in the spring election.[4] The two candidates who receive the most votes in a primary race advance to the general election.[5]
General election
A spring election is held on the first Tuesday in April.[4]
Campaign finance
State candidates, including candidates of the supreme court, courts of appeals, and circuit courts, are required to file campaign finance reports eight days before both the primary and general election. This is mandatory regardless of whether the candidate is unopposed or lost during the primary.[6]
Access Wisconsin statutes regarding campaign finance here.
Vacancies
- See also: Gubernatorial appointment of judges
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement. If the vacancy occurs between December 1 and the spring election, the appointee must stand for election the following spring. If the vacancy occurs earlier, judges stand for re-election during the next spring election in which no other justice or judge from their district is being elected.[5]
The governor solicits recommendations from an Advisory Council on Judicial Selection in making his or her appointments, but is not required to choose one of the suggested appointees.[7][5]
State profile
| Demographic data for Wisconsin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 5,767,891 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 54,158 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 86.5% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 6.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 6.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,357 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wisconsin. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Wisconsin
Wisconsin voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 23 are located in Wisconsin, accounting for 11.17 percent of the total pivot counties.[8]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Wisconsin had 21 Retained Pivot Counties and two Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 11.60 and 8.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Wisconsin coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Wisconsin
- United States congressional delegations from Wisconsin
- Public policy in Wisconsin
- Endorsers in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin fact checks
- More...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Wisconsin Supreme Court Election 2017. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Wisconsin Elections Commission, "Candidate Tracking by Office, 2017 Spring Election - 4/4/2017," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wisconsin Constitution," accessed September 19, 2014 (Article VII, Section 4: pg.10)
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wisconsin Constitution," accessed September 19, 2014 (Article VII, Section 24: pg.11)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Wisconsin Legislative Council, "Overview of the Election Law in Wisconsin," archived March 31, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Wisconsin," accessed September 1, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "State Candidates & Committees," accessed March 20, 2015
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "Walker's approach to the judiciary," September 21, 2013
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
| ||||||||||
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin
State courts:
Wisconsin Supreme Court • Wisconsin Court of Appeals • Wisconsin Circuit Courts • Wisconsin Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Wisconsin • Wisconsin judicial elections • Judicial selection in Wisconsin