Judge Chris Taylor (Photo/chrisforjustice.com)
By Karen Stokes
Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Chris Taylor has entered the race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She launched her candidacy last May.
Taylor will be facing off against Conservative Maria Lazar for an open seat left vacant by conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley’s decision to not run for another term.
Taylor currently serves on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, sitting on the Madison-based 4th District since 2023. Before that, she spent three years as a Dane County circuit court judge from 2020 to 2023. Her public service career also includes nine years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, where she represented downtown Madison as a Democrat from 2011 to 2020.
Earlier in her career, Taylor worked in private legal practice in Milwaukee and Madison from 1996 to 2002 before becoming public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
Taylor is seeking a seat on the state’s highest court comes at a critical moment.
“It’s a very important role, particularly now, where we are unfortunately seeing other branches of government abusing their power. We’ve seen the federal government overreaching into states, so it’s never been more important to have a strong court to protect the people of Wisconsin and to protect our state,” Taylor said.
The guiding principle in her judicial work is fairness and justice for those affected by court decisions.
Taylor graduated from law school over 30 years ago and has worked extensively in various areas, including reproductive healthcare and reproductive rights.
“I value every individual’s ability to make their own private health care decisions,” Taylor said. “But how I would approach a reproductive health care case is how I approach any case. I look at the law at issue and the facts. I cannot prejudge any case.”
She added that prior legal or legislative work does not automatically require recusal.
“If I had to recuse myself from every area I worked in as a lawyer or legislator, that wouldn’t work, nor would that work for most judges,” Taylor said. “If I can’t be fair and impartial, I have a duty to recuse, but recusal is fairly rare.”
Taylor also pointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down legislative maps that election experts described as among the most gerrymandered in the nation.
“The state Supreme Court has a constitutional role in striking down unlawful and unconstitutional laws,” she said. “The maps were unfair because they elevated certain people’s votes and tried to dilute other people’s votes. My opponent, in contrast, defended some of the most gerrymandered maps in the nation.”
“I have seen the law from so many different angles,” she said. “All of those experiences remind me every day that the law is about people, and the decisions I make impact real people with real problems.”
Ultimately, Taylor framed the race as one centered on voters.
“This race is not about me, and it’s not about my opponent,” she said. “It’s about the people of the state of Wisconsin. They deserve a justice who will stand up for their rights, care about their lives, and make sure our democracy thrives.”
With no third candidate in the race, both Taylor and Lazar will advance automatically from the Feb. 17 primary.
The spring election will be held on April 7.