Susan Crawford Sworn in to Wisconsin Supreme Court

Justice Susan Crawford joined the Wisconsin Supreme Court late Friday afternoon, months after she won election to the seat in what amounted to the most expensive judicial race in American history.

In remarks at an investiture ceremony at the Wisconsin State Capitol, Crawford pledged to uphold the state and federal constitutions and to rule with “dedication, insight and humanity.”

“The questions that come before the court still shape and protect our democracy, our communities and the rights of everyone who calls Wisconsin home,” she said. “I’m proud to take my seat on this court, and I’m ready to meet this moment.”

Crawford, formerly a Dane County judge, was elected to her first 10-year term on the bench in April. Her election likely cemented liberals’ majority on the high court for years to come, as the next scheduled elections involve seats now held by conservative justices. Crawford’s victory came after a campaign cycle that cost at least $115 million and attracted national attention and donations.

At stake was the ideological balance of the court. Liberals supported Crawford to maintain their majority, won in 2023 during the then-record breaking election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz.

Crawford’s 10-point victory over Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, who was backed by conservatives, means liberals will likely hold that majority through at least 2028, with cases over issues like labor law and congressional redistricting under scrutiny.

The eye-popping cost of that campaign was thanks in part to major national donors, including entrepreneur and then-White House adviser Elon Musk, who poured tens of millions of dollars into supporting Schimel’s campaign.

Speakers on Friday described the intensity of that race. They included Crawford’s two children, who formally presented her with her justice robes.

“Now my brother and I are both out of the house, and evidently she has a little bit more time on her hands,” said Crawford’s daughter, Maisie. “So much time, in fact, that she picked a battle against the richest man in the world, led the most expensive judicial campaign in history and ultimately secured a seat on the bench of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin.”

Crawford highlights court’s independence

Crawford’s own remarks focused heavily on the importance of state courts and of the state constitution, which “deserves our reverence,” she said.

Without naming President Donald Trump, Crawford spoke pointedly about times in Wisconsin history that the high court asserted its own authority against an unjust federal government. In 1854, the court defied the federal Fugitive Slave Act by ruling in favor of someone who helped an enslaved man find freedom.

Another story about the court determining its own authority involved a candidate for office who lost a close election, declined to concede, then convened an armed militia to support his false claim of victory.

Crawford said the court’s support of the rightful victor speaks to the value and power of the Wisconsin State Constitution, saying, “From the beginning, this court has stepped up in the moments that matter most.”

“It has taken seriously its duty to interpret our Constitution and protect the rule of law, even when the issues were politically charged, deeply divisive or hard to untangle,” she said. “That’s always been the job, and it still is today. The challenges we face now might be different, but the stakes are just as high.”

Crawford and Schimel were running to replace retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, whose 30-year tenure on the court ended Thursday.

Speaking on Friday, Bradley recalled running into a friend recently, who asked her if she felt she was leaving the high court better than she found it.

“With the addition of Susan Crawford to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, I can most definitely answer that question: Yes, I did,” she said, to applause.

Crawford’s new colleagues on the court were all in attendance, with the exception of conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley. Bradley campaigned for Schimel and has been an outspoken critic of the court’s recent liberal turn.

Crawford ascends with high-stakes cases ahead

The ceremony in the Capitol rotunda on Friday attracted a bevy of guests from across Wisconsin politics. But the event paled in comparison to Protasewicz’s investiture in 2023, which more closely resembled the inauguration of a governor.

In that event, liberals and Democratic Party celebrated the historic swing of the court from a 15-year conservative majority, packing the standing-room-only pathways ringing the Capitol rotunda.

While Crawford’s win cemented that majority, her ceremony was more muted than two years ago, when the status of abortion in Wisconsin was in the courts and Protasiewicz’s historic election foreshadowed a resolution in support of abortion rights.

Indeed, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled early last month that a 19th-century law previously interpreted as banning abortion was unconstitutional, functionally making abortion legal in the state through 20 weeks of pregnancy.

But while that high-profile case has been decided, others are pending and likely to reach Crawford’s court.

A challenge to Act 10, the signature policy achievement of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker that ended collective bargaining for most public sector unions, is likely to reach the high court. If the unions that filed that lawsuit prevail, the law would be overturned, which would be a victory for organized labor and teachers unions.

As a private attorney, Crawford once led a lawsuit challenging Act 10.

And several groups have attempted to challenge Wisconsin’s congressional maps, including with a new lawsuit filed just weeks ago in lower court. Democrats have expressed hope of picking up a seat or two in Congress if Wisconsin’s existing maps, which favor Republicans, are overturned.

Crawford was also introduced by her former boss, former Gov. Jim Doyle. She began her career in Doyle’s Department of Justice when he was attorney general and followed him into the governor’s office as his counsel.

He described Crawford’s composure in his cabinet and said her character would be apparent on the high court no matter how she rules.

“A word of warning to all of her dear friends, including me: You are at some point going to be unhappy with her,” he said. “She is a judge. She has proven that she will decide cases by the laws and the law and facts, but not by what is popular.”

Susan Crawford sworn in to Wisconsin Supreme Court, cementing yearslong liberal majority was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.