Courts

Janine Geske on disagreements in the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske considers the retirement of Justice Ann Walsh Bradley amid shifts in power and slips in collegiality among other justices on the state's high court.

By Zac Schultz | Here & Now

September 2, 2025

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Janine Geske on slips in collegiality among Wisconsin Supreme Court justices.


Janine Geske:
What's important is you get the kind of judges who can respect people who disagree with them. We've had some problems with that in the last several years, where in my view, particularly, dissents have become very nasty towards other justices. That strikes at the heart of collegiality. I think that, and so we, Ann Walsh Bradley has been an incredible member of the court for a long time — for 30 years. She's got all the historical knowledge of the court. She was there when I was there, and that's going to be a piece that's missing from that court. I mean, the rest of the justices are relatively new compared to that, and so there's going to be some adjusting in terms of power and information, and we'll have to see where it goes. I'm always hopeful that the court will become more collegial — even if they totally disagree on their opinions — and that people can have faith in the decisions that come out of that court.

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