Don’t Forget to Vote on April 1
From League of Women Voters materials, with thanks to Aileen Nettleto
On April 1, we will have the opportunity to help select the next Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice and determine whether the Wisconsin State Constitution is amended again. Make your vote count! Educate yourself on the candidates and the issues
Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice
The two candidates for the open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court justice are Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel. This non-partisan election for the 10-year term will determine the control of the Supreme Court. Make your voice heard!
The Wisconsin Supreme Court decides important questions of state law, according to the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court Voter Guide compiled by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. “This year, the Court will rule on an attempt to reactivate the state’s 175-year-old abortion ban … The Court is also expected to hear an appeal of a Dane County judge’s decision that overturned Act 10, restoring collective bargaining rights to unions representing 100,000 teachers and other public employees. The winner will rule on any potential redistricting and voting rules cases.”
What positions have the candidates taken on these and other positions? Here are a few examples from the LWV WI Supreme Court Voter Guide (which also includes footnotes that identify the source of each statement):
Susan Crawford:
- On abortion, Crawford supports women’s “access to reproductive health care.”
- On criminal justice, she supports “restorative justice,” transparency in sentencing data, and “diversion programs (like Drug Court) that hold people accountable while giving them a chance to avoid a conviction.”
- On her priorities, she believes “in protecting the basic rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites.” She has said she is “committed as a judge to ensuring that the courtroom presents a level playing field…and that the court is in a position to… act as a check and balance on the other branches of government.”
- On voting rules, she has opposed voter ID laws. She has supported giving a voter the option of swearing under penalty of perjury “that you are who you say you are and you’re an eligible voter.”
Brad Schimel:
- On abortion, Schimel says he’s pro-life and that Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban is valid. In 2012 he signed a legal white paper that endorsed making “it a crime to intentionally destroy the life of an unborn child unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother.”
- On criminal justice, as attorney general he supported a WI constitutional amendment letting crime victims participate more in court proceedings and have personal information sealed.
- On labor, he supports protecting Act 10, which outlawed collective bargaining for public employee unions.
- On his priorities, he “will take back the Wisconsin Supreme Court and end the madness” of “rogue judges…putting their radical agenda above the law.”
- On voting rules, Schimel supported Wisconsin’s 2011 voter ID law. As attorney general he attempted to limit early voting in Milwaukee and Madison.
You can find further information about each candidate’s credentials and endorsements in the LWV WI Supreme Court Voter Guide at https://guides.vote/guide/2025-wisconsin-supreme-court-voter-guide-crawford-v-schimel
Proposed State Constitutional Amendment
“Wisconsin voters will be asked one question to amend the constitution on their April ballot. Wisconsin already has a strict voter ID law on the books. This constitutional amendment seeks to enshrine Wisconsin’s voter ID law in the state constitution, [which] would make it harder to remove the photo ID requirement and limit the court’s ability to protect voters disenfranchised by the law.”
Voters will be asked to vote YES or NO on this question:
“Photographic identification for voting. Shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?”
The LWV WI recommends VOTE NO. Here’s why:
“Wisconsin’s voter ID law disenfranchises eligible voters. Wisconsin’s photo ID law is among the most restrictive in the nation. Research from VoteRiders, the Brennan Center, and the University of Maryland revealed that 34.5 million voting-age US citizens …lack an unexpired, acceptable photo ID, which can lead to difficulties at the polls as a result.”