4:55 p.m.
Two Wisconsin appeals court judges are considering running for the state Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer and Judge Brian Hagedorn both say they are considering running for the seat and hope to decide soon. Abrahamson announced Wednesday she was not going to run for re-election next year.
Neubauer was appointed to the appeals court in 2007 by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. Hagedorn was appointed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2015 and won election in 2017.
The election to replace Abrahamson will be in April 2019. She is the longest-serving Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin history, first taking the bench in 1976. She was chief justice for 19 years.
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4:25 p.m.
Gov. Scott Walker’s former chief legal counsel says he’s seriously considering a run for Wisconsin Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
Brian Hagedorn said Wednesday that Abrahamson’s announcement that she won’t run again next year does not significantly alter his consideration of a run.
Hagedorn says he doesn’t have a time frame in mind for making a decision but he intends to do it “relatively soon.”
The 84-year-old Abrahamson says she plans to serve through the end of her current term, which ends on July 31, 2019. The election to replace her will be in April.
Many others are expected to seriously considering getting in the race for the 10-year term. Abrahamson has been on the Supreme Court for 42 years, longer than anyone in state history. She was also the first woman justice and was chief justice for 19 years.
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3:36 p.m.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson will not seek re-election next year.
The 84-year-old Abrahamson issued a statement saying “For a variety of reasons, I have decided not to seek re-election.” She calls it the right decision for her and the state.
Abrahamson is the former long-time chief justice and the first woman on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, joining in 1976. She has been sick in recent months and participating on cases by telephone only.
Abrahamson says she intends to serve on the court through July 31, 2019.
Abrahamson has been part of a two-justice liberal minority that will grow to three in August when Rebecca Dallet joins the court.
The election to replace Abrahamson will be in April. Abrahamson says she will encourage qualified candidates to run.
