News of the Day April 4, 2025
Justice Ann Walsh Bradley Elected as Chief Justice of Wisconsin Supreme Court

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley was elected by the Court today to serve as chief justice, effective May 1, 2025. She succeeds Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler in this role. Justice Bradley was first elected to the Court in 1995 and will leave the Court after serving three full 10-year terms on July 31, 2025. Justice Bradley has indicated she will step down as chief on June 30, 2025, after two months in the role.

“It is a tremendous honor to be elected by my colleagues as the leader of this great court,” said Justice Bradley. “It has been my life’s goal to honor the rule of law, enhance access to justice, and serve the 5.9 million people who call Wisconsin home. Serving as Chief Justice enables me to further those goals. The court system is full of wonderful staff and justices, from the circuit court to the appellate Court to our Supreme Court. So I deeply appreciate the opportunity to serve as the administrative head of this august institution.”

In anticipation of Justice Bradley’s retirement, the Court elected Justice Jill J. Karofsky to become Chief Justice as of July 1, 2025. Justice Karofsky was elected to the Court in 2020 and will serve the remainder of the two-year Chief Justice term until April 30, 2027.

Pursuant to Article VII, Section 4 (3) of the Wisconsin Constitution, the chief justice of the Supreme Court is the administrative head of the judicial system and exercises administrative authority pursuant to procedures adopted by the Supreme Court. In this role, the chief justice works with fellow justices, the director of state courts, chief judges and other administrators to ensure the courts operate efficiently.