Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson announced Thursday she plans to run for another term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Abrahamson said she has found her duties on the court to be interesting and rewarding, and her decision is based on her desire to continue providing justice to constituents.
She also stressed the importance of voting in Supreme Court elections, as the court plays an important part in everyone's lives.
No one should be satisfied in leaving the election system to everybody else,"" she said. ""This is not a spectator sport. We need to be engaged.""
So far, no one has announced they will run against Abrahamson. However, she said she expects a contender.
According to Mike McCabe, director for the watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, special interest groups will likely recruit someone to run against her.
He said unless reforms are made, this next race could be as ugly as the April 1 Supreme Court race between incumbent Justice Louis Butler and Judge Michael Gableman.
However, according to UW-Madison assistant professor of political science Howard Schweber, Abrahamson will likely run a more aggressive campaign than Butler did.
Schweber said a rightward shift in the court would occur if Abrahamson was ousted, but the more pressing issue in recent elections is the trend of special interest groups intervening to get a justice on the court who will benefit them.
