Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley has announced she will not be a candidate for re-election when her current term ends in 2026.
Justice Bradley was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2015 by then-Governor Scott Walker and was elected to a full 10-year term in 2016. She is the first justice in state history to have served at three levels of Wisconsin’s judiciary: circuit court, court of appeals, and supreme court.
Before her appointment to the state’s highest court, Bradley served on the District I Court of Appeals in Milwaukee and as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge. Earlier in her career, she practiced civil and commercial litigation and intellectual property law at Milwaukee firms and was vice president of legal operations with a global software company.
Bradley earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and business economics from Marquette University in 1993 and her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1996.
Her decision not to seek another term will create an open seat on the Supreme Court in the April 2026 election.
Third Branch eNews is an online monthly newsletter of the Director of State Courts Office. If you are interested in contributing an article about your department’s programs or accomplishments, contact your department head. Information about judicial retirements and judicial obituaries may be submitted to: Sara.Foster@wicourts.gov