U.S. President Donald Trump sits next to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
On Tuesday night, April 7, Republicans suffered a major humiliation when Judge Chris Taylor (a former Democratic state legislator) defeated Judge Maria S. Lazar by roughly 20 percent in a Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The race was technically nonpartisan, but it became largely a referendum on Donald Trump's second presidency. And while Taylor was backed by Democrats, Lazar was supported by Republicans.
With Taylor's victory, liberals will have a 5-2 majority on the seven-seat Wisconsin Supreme Court.
In an article published on April 8, Mother Jones' Ari Berman offers a major takeaway on the race's outcome: MAGA Republicans, Berman argues, will have a hard time trying to "hijack elections" in a key swing state.
"It's a stunning turnaround from a decade ago, when a conservative majority dominated the (Wisconsin Supreme) Court and upheld much of then-Gov. Scott Walker's (R) right-wing agenda, such as his efforts to crush unions, make it harder to vote, and gerrymander in the GOP's favor," Berman explains. "In 2020, when conservatives on the Wisconsin Court held a 4-3 majority, Donald Trump and his allies attempted to convince the justices to overturn the state's presidential election results. They nearly succeeded. Just one of the conservatives, Justice Brian Hagedorn, sided with the liberals in narrowly upholding Joe Biden's win."
Berman continues, "Taylor's victory on Tuesday means progressives are set to control the Court's majority through at least 2030. That will make it nearly impossible for Republicans to use the state courts to hijack elections. Taylor said, during a debate last week with her opponent, Maria Lazar — a fellow appellate judge who previously served in Walker's administration — that she was 'very concerned that we might have efforts to suppress the vote' and that 'this is why we need a strong Supreme Court that's going to hold the federal government accountable.'"
Taylor's 20 percent victory, according to Berman, was more than a "landslide" — it was a "tsunami."
"Taylor won at least 24 counties that Trump carried in 2024," Berman observes. "Democrats also prevailed in the mayor's race in Waukesha, the county seat of a longtime GOP stronghold in suburban Milwaukee. The results are another indicator that a blue wave is forming in November."
