Bradley is first woman elected to Supreme Court

The Journal Sentinel staff

Madison Judge Ann Walsh Bradley won election Tuesday night to the Supreme Court, defeating Judge N. Patrick Crooks in a hard fought campaign that could set the course of Wisconsin's high court for years to come.

Bradley, 44, a Richland Center native and Marathon County circuit judge, becomes the first woman to join the court by the ballot, instead of gubernatorial appointment.

She campaigned as an independent jurist, while Crooks, 56, a Brown County circuit judge, proclaimed himself the conservative candidate in the race.

With 75% of the precincts reporting, Bradley was ahead by nearly 61,000 votes in the race for the seat being vacated by retiring Chief Justice Nathan S. Heffernan, a liberal on a conservative-leaning court.

The unofficial totals:

State of Wisconsin

This includes 0grid lines for the kicker. Supreme Court Justice 2,682 of 3,554 precincts reporting X Ann Walsh Bradley391,041

N. Patrick Crooks330,084

Crooks declined to concede the race, saying he expected to do well in counties like Brown County that had yet to be counted.

He said he expected to win about 400,000 votes, but that may not be enough to beat Bradley. "It's a great vote total anyway, and I'm encouraged that so many people would vote to send me to the Supreme Court," he said in an interview.

Crooks said the campaign had been "a pleasure, fun and enjoyable."

Bradley built up substantial leads in Madison and Milwaukee.

Reached at her Washington Square election night party in Wausau, Bradley said: `It's early. I'm happy with the numbers so far. If the trend continues, I'll be delighted."

The newly elected justice will serve a 10-year term at $97,756 a year.

From the beginning, Crooks ran as a conservative in the non- partisan race, and Bradley seized on that as an attempt to politicize the court. When they emerged from a five-way primary Feb. 21, Crooks tried to blunt her attacks, describing himself as a judicial conservative who would closely interpret the law rather than legislate from the bench.

But Bradley continued her efforts to portray Crooks as a candidate with a political agenda, noting that Assembly Majority Leader Scott Jensen (R-Waukesha) was directing his campaign.

In a rare move, Heffernan, a liberal jurist, endorsed Bradley. Even more unusual, Crooks was endorsed by Justice Roland B. Day, a conservative. Second in seniority to Heffernan, Day will serve as chief justice until his retirement next year.

Three other justices on the seven-member court took sides in the race. Justice Donald W. Steinmetz formally endorsed Crooks, while Justices William A. Bablitch and Janine Geske were supporting Bradley.

Both candidates were experienced trial court judges, appointed by Democratic governors: Crooks, in 1977 by then Gov. Martin J. Schreiber; and Bradley, in 1985 by then Gov. Anthony Earl.

For her part, Bradley rejected labels and proclaimed her independence, although the opposition noted her support from such political forces as the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state's largest teachers union.

Bradley and Crooks both claimed bipartisan support. Bradley had Earl and Sue Ann Thompson, the governor's wife, as co-chairs of her campaign committee. She also was endorsed by Milwaukee Mayor John O. Norquist and Milwaukee County Sheriff Richard Artison.

In Milwaukee, Crooks enjoyed support from state Appeals Court Judge Ted E. Wedemeyer, an unsuccessful primary election candidate, and Milwaukee County Dist. Atty. E. Michael McCann.

Gov. Tommy G. Thompson made no official endorsement, although his forces supported Crooks. Crooks was a finalist two years for a Supreme Court appointment. At the time, Thompson appointed Geske, but aides said he was impressed with Crooks and urged him to run for the court. During the campaign, Crooks frequently noted that he had made Thompson's short list for appointment to the court, while Bradley had not.

Except for some tough talk on crime and hand-wringing over campaign spending, the race was devoid of issues. Bradley and Crooks said the judicial ethics code prevented them from taking positions on cases or issues that might become cases before the court.

They side-stepped such controversial issues as the death penalty, euthanasia and abortion, saying these were issues for the Legislature to decide. They also avoided positions on welfare and educational reforms, including an expansion of Milwaukee school choice to include religious schools.

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