Maria Lazar, a state appeals court judge and former assistant attorney general, is joining the spring 2026 race for state Supreme Court after current conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley said she wouldn’t seek reelection.
Lazar is a conservative candidate in the technically nonpartisan race, though elections to the high court have become increasingly polarized. Chris Taylor, a former Democratic lawmaker who also sits on the court of appeals, is the liberal candidate in the race. It’s unclear if more candidates will join.
Unlike last year’s high-profile Supreme Court election, the 2026 race won’t change the court’s majority. Justice Susan Crawford’s victory in 2024 guaranteed liberals will control the state Supreme Court at least through 2028. If Taylor wins, the court’s liberal majority would grow to 5-2; if Lazar wins, it’ll remain at 4-3.
Here’s what to know about Lazar, including her legal system experience, positions on key issues, education and more:
What is Maria Lazar’s job?
Since 2022, Lazar has been a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals for District II, headquartered in Waukesha. Her current term expires July 31, 2028.
In Wisconsin, the court of appeals is the middle step before the state Supreme Court and aims to correct errors at the circuit court level. Cases are usually decided by a three-judge panel.
Before she was elected as an appeals judge, Lazar served as a judge on Waukesha County Circuit Court for seven years. She also worked in private practice for two decades, handling business, financial and real estate law.
From 2010 to 2015, Lazar was an assistant attorney general under Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen in former Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s administration. In that role, she defended the state’s position in cases related to Act 10, redistricting, voter ID, abortion and more.
She also considered running for state Supreme Court in 2018, a race ultimately won by Justice Brian Hagedorn.
How old is Maria Lazar?
Lazar is 61.
Where is Maria Lazar from?
Lazar is from Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee. She lives in Waukesha County with her husband, Tom. They have two adult children.
Where did Maria Lazar go to college and law school?
Lazar attended Mount Mary University, a Catholic women’s college in Milwaukee, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history. She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1989.
What is Maria Lazar’s stance on abortion rights?
In her 2022 campaign for the Court of Appeals, Lazar was endorsed by both Wisconsin Right to Life, which is open to exceptions to abortions, and Pro-Life Wisconsin, which opposes any exceptions to abortions.
On her campaign website, Lazar says “judicial ethics have been thrown out the window and candidates have openly campaigned on how they would rule in future cases. I realize you, the voters, want to hear that information, but ethics are important.”
She added she would explain how she previously ruled on important issues and how she makes her decisions.
As assistant attorney general, Lazar represented the state in a case filed by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin over a state law that required physicians performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Current Justice Susan Crawford represented Planned Parenthood in that same case.
What is Maria Lazar’s stance on voter ID?
Lazar also represented former Gov. Scott Walker and other defendants in legal challenges to Wisconsin’s voter ID law, which remains intact. Wisconsin’s voter ID requirement is now part of the state constitution after a 2024 referendum, making it harder for a court to strike down.
What is Maria Lazar’s stance on Act 10, union rights?
Lazar was the lead counsel for the state in initial lawsuits filed over Act 10, which banned most collective bargaining among public employees.
She told the Wisconsin Law Journal that, while working on the case, she “did not get home until long after dark and my family joked that all they saw of me was the back of my head on the news.”
Act 10 could come before the state Supreme Court in the near future. In December 2024, a Dane County judge overturned the law but placed his ruling on hold, keeping the law in effect for now. The case is now at the appeals court after the Supreme Court denied a petition to take the case directly.
What have opponents said about Maria Lazar?
Ashley Franz, Taylor’s campaign manager, said Lazar has “spent her career rolling back people’s rights, attacking reproductive health care and voting rights, and doing the bidding of powerful special interests and her billionaire friends.”
Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Philip Shulman said the state party is “going to make sure Wisconsinites know Maria Lazar has a partisan agenda (and) will do everything in her power to restrict abortion rights, tear down democracy, and hurt working families.”
When is the next Wisconsin Supreme Court election?
Wisconsin’s 2026 spring election, which includes the state Supreme Court race and other nonpartisan offices, is April 7. If additional candidates join Taylor and Lazar in the race, there will be a primary for the seat Feb. 17.
Wisconsin’s general election, which include races for governor, state Legislature, U.S. House members and more, is Nov. 3, 2026. A primary for those partisan offices is set for Aug. 11.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who is Maria Lazar? What to know about conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate
Reporting by Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
