Wisconsin voters have elected Chris Taylor to the Supreme Court, selecting an appellate judge with experience at both the trial and appellate levels to serve a 10-year term on the state’s highest court.
Justice-elect Taylor, who currently serves on the District IV Court of Appeals, defeated fellow appellate judge Maria Lazar in the April 7 spring election. She will take office on August 1, 2026, succeeding Justice Rebecca Grassl Bradley, who did not seek re-election.
“It is the greatest honor of my life to be elected to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” said Justice-elect Taylor. “As a justice, I will ensure that all Wisconsinites receive equal justice under the law; that the rule of law is applied fairly and impartially to every person and entity, regardless of how powerful or privileged; and that the court remain fiercely independent and uphold its constitutional role in ensuring that the other branches of government act lawfully.”
Justice-elect Taylor was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2023 and serves on the District IV bench, based in Madison. In that role, she reviews decisions from circuit courts in southwestern Wisconsin. Prior to her appellate service, she served on the Dane County Circuit Court after her appointment in 2020 and election the following year.
Before joining the bench, Justice-elect Taylor practiced law in Milwaukee and Madison. She also served nearly a decade in the Wisconsin State Assembly, bringing experience in the legislative branch prior to her judicial service.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Her term will run through July 31, 2036.
Justice-elect Taylor’s victory marks the second year in a sequence of six consecutive years with Wisconsin Supreme Court seats contested on the ballot.