Liberal-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Chris Taylor discussed her legislative background, judicial impartiality and stressed the importance of young voter turnout in an interview with The Daily Cardinal Wednesday.
Taylor, who launched her campaign May 19, previously served as a private practice attorney for law firms in Milwaukee and Madison. She also represented Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin in 2003, before serving as a Democrat in the state Assembly from 2011 to 2020.
Taylor was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers to the Dane County Circuit Court in 2020 before being elected to the Court of Appeals in 2023.
Although Taylor believes what she learned from her time in the legislature “made her a better judge,” her opponent, conservative-backed Court of Appeals Judge Maria Lazar, said Taylor's past as a Democratic lawmaker is “overstepping” her position as a judge.
Lazar previously served as Wisconsin assistant attorney general from 2010 to 2015 and was then elected to the Waukesha County District Court and the Court of Appeals in 2022. Lazar has centered her campaign on bringing “fairness and impartiality” to the court.
The two judges will square off in the April 7 election, which will determine the size of the court's liberal majority.
Despite her legislative background, Taylor believes her opponent is the only one “bringing politics to the bench.”
“I think if anybody has seen me on the circuit court or my recent opinions, I don't have a political agenda. Courts must not have a political agenda,” Taylor said. “My agenda is to make sure the rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites are protected and that our democracy is protected, and that our elections and our right to vote are protected.”
Taylor further pointed to Lazar’s past rulings, including one where she aligned with 2020 election deniers attempting to access private voter information.
Young voters
Taylor stressed the importance of youth voter turnout in this election, saying it could have a great impact on the outcome.
“If [young people] turned out in elections in the same percentage as the baby boomer generation, they would determine every election,” Taylor said. “I think that is really exciting, that young people have that power to choose their government and so I hope they turn out on April 7.”
Similar to Lazar, Taylor said the greatest challenge this spring is that this is a “quieter race” compared to last year's Wisconsin Supreme Court election — the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history — saying the biggest obstacle is getting the word out.
Taylor said she wants young voters to know she “cares” about their futures, emphasizing the importance of younger generations having “faith in our courts.”
“Our courts should be places where people know they will get justice and they will be treated fairly, and the rule of law will be applied consistently and fairly regardless of how privileged or how powerful you are,” Taylor said.
Gerrymandering
Taylor said she agrees with the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision in 2023 to strike down the state’s previous legislative maps.
Although she said she would not indicate which way she would vote on cases that might come before the court, Taylor pointed to Lazar’s record, saying she represented former Republican Gov. Scott Walker “defending” what experts considered to be some of the most gerrymandered maps in the country.
“I was working in the legislature to come up with a nonpartisan, fair process so that we don't get these partisan maps,” Taylor said. “I worked a lot in the legislature on democracy issues to make sure that maps were fair and that some people's vote wasn't elevated and diminish other people's vote.”
Lazar, however, told the Cardinal she still believes Wisconsin did not previously have the “most gerrymandered maps.”
Taylor emphasized her bid, saying the state needs a strong court that will “stand up” for Wisconsinites.
“We are at a really critical juncture in our country,” Taylor said. “We must have a strong state supreme court that stands up for the people of the state and their rights, that stands up for our democracy, that protects our elections and that resists the overreach from the federal government that we are seeing that is really starting to infringe upon our independence as a state.”
Clara Strecker is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as copy chief. Clara has written in-depth on the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the 2024 presidential election and abortion rights. She currently works with WisPolitics and will spend the summer interning with The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Follow her on X at @clara_strecker.
