Here & Now

State Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley On Election Win

AND JOINING US NOW FROM MILWAUKEE, WE WELCOME NEWLY-ELECTED JUSTICE REBECCA BRADLEY. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ELECTION.

REBECCA BRADLEY:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, FREDERICA.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW THAT YOU CAN THINK LONG-RANGE, WITH A TEN-YEAR TERM AHEAD, HOW DO YOU HOPE YOU ARE THOUGHT OF AHEAD OF THE 2026 ELECTION?

REBECCA BRADLEY:

I HOPE THAT PEOPLE LOOK AT MY BODY OF WORK ON THE SUPREME COURT AND APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THE JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY THAT I MADE CENTRAL TO MY CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN APPLIED AND FULFILLED IN EVERY ONE OF THE CASES THAT I PRESIDED OVER.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT MIGHT YOU SAY TO LAWYERS OR CITIZENS COMING BEFORE THE COURT WHO MAY HAVE LINGERING CONCERNS THAT YOUR PUBLICLY-STATED ALBEIT LONG AGO POSITIONS ON ISSUES INVOLVING GAY PEOPLE, FOR INSTANCE, OR ABORTION MIGHT RESULT IN PREORDAINED POSITIONS FROM YOU ON THE COURT?

REBECCA BRADLEY:

I DON’T HAVE PREORDAINED POSITIONS ON THOSE ISSUES OR ANY OTHER ISSUES WHEN I’M DECIDING CASES. I ALWAYS LOOK AT THE LAW THAT I’M CALLED UPON TO APPLY. AND I APPLY THAT LAW REGARDLESS OF HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT OR THE OUTCOME IN A CASE. BUT AS I’VE MENTIONED, I LONG AGO CHANGED MY HEART AND MY MIND ON THOSE ISSUES. AND I WANT TO ASSURE EVERYONE THAT I WAS SINCERE IN MY APOLOGIES FOR THE SENTIMENTS I EXPRESSED A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO AND THAT I AM A VERY DIFFERENT PERSON TODAY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WOULD YOU CONSIDER RECUSING IF SOMEBODY BROUGHT THAT UP IN THE COURT? YOU KNOW, IF THOSE CONCERNS ARE RAISED BEFORE YOU?

REBECCA BRADLEY:

WELL, WITH EVERY CASE THAT I HAVE PRESENTED TO ME, IF THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT I SHOULD RECUSE MYSELF UNDER THE RULES THAT APPLY TO US UNDER OUR JUDICIAL CODE OF ETHICS AND UNDER THE STATUTES, I ALWAYS GO THROUGH AN ANALYSIS UNDER THOSE FACTORS AND MAKE A DETERMINATION.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, YOUR ELECTION NIGHT PARTY WAS ATTENDED BY BIG-NAME REPUBLICANS. JUDGE KLOPPENBURG’S GATHERING HAD MANY MAJOR DEMOCRATS IN ATTENDANCE. WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON WHETHER WISCONSIN SHOULD DROP THE PRETENSE THAT THESE ARE NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS AND GO WITH APPOINTED SEATS?

REBECCA BRADLEY:

I DON’T THINK THERE’S A PRETENSE THAT THESE ARE NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS. THEY REALLY ARE. I THINK THEY GET POLITICIZED. BUT THE POSITION IS VERY MUCH A NONPARTISAN ONE AND THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE PROVIDED FOR UNDER OUR CONSTITUTION IS THAT THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN GET TO SELECT THEIR JUDGES AND JUSTICES. AND I WILL ALWAYS DEFEND THAT CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO SELECT THEIR JUDGES AND JUSTICES EVEN THOUGH THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS CERTAINLY FOR THE CANDIDATES CAN BE KIND OF ROUGH.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SPEAKING OF WHICH, AS FOR THESE CAMPAIGNS FOR THE HIGH COURT, THEY HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY NEGATIVE. HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO TAKE THE BENCH AND NOT HAVE SOME OF THAT NEGATIVITY KIND OF PERMEATE THE COURT?

REBECCA BRADLEY:

I PERSONALLY HAVE REALLY LET IT GO ALREADY. I’M VERY HAPPY THAT THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN DECIDED TO ELECT ME TO A FULL TERM. AND I WILL CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE A REALLY POSITIVE PERSONAL AND JUDICIAL DEMEANOR AND TEMPERAMENT TO THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO DESCRIBE FOR US WHAT, YOU KNOW, AS WE’VE DISCUSSED OFTENTIMES THE COLLEGIALITY ON THE COURT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS, YOU KNOW, NONEXISTENT. WHAT IS IT LIKE NOW? AND YOU WERE BACK IN COURT THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION.

REBECCA BRADLEY:

WELL, MY COLLEAGUES ALL CONGRATULATED ME ON MY VICTORY ON TUESDAY NIGHT. AND WE WENT RIGHT BACK TO THE BUSINESS OF THE COURT. AND I THINK THE COURT IS FUNCTIONING VERY WELL. IT HAS FUNCTIONED WELL DURING THE SIX MONTHS THAT I’VE SPENT ON THE COURT, LEADING UP TO ELECTION DAY. AND LIKE ANY OTHER WORKPLACE, SOMETIMES WE HAVE DISAGREEMENTS. BUT I THINK WE ALL TRY TO KEEP THOSE DISAGREEMENTS REALLY RESPECTFUL.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ANYONE THINKING OF RUNNING FOR THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT CONSIDERING THE KIND OF HARDBALL POLITICS INVOLVED?

REBECCA BRADLEY:

WELL, I HOPE THAT THIS ELECTION SHOWS THAT THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN REALLY DON’T LIKE NEGATIVE ATTACKS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THOSE ATTACKS ARE PERSONAL AS THEY WERE AGAINST ME. THE VOTERS HAVE TIME AND AGAIN REJECTED THAT TYPE OF NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING. SO MY ADVICE TO ANYONE WHO’S CONSIDERING RUNNING AGAIN IS TO FOCUS ON THE ISSUES THAT THE VOTERS REALLY CARE ABOUT, WHICH ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS OF THE CANDIDATES, THE EXPERIENCE OF THE CANDIDATES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY I THINK JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY. THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE RUNNING ON. AND I HOPE THAT I SET A GOOD EXAMPLE OF ALWAYS HAVING A POSITIVE CAMPAIGN THAT FOCUSED ON THOSE ISSUES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

JUSTICE REBECCA BRADLEY, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

REBECCA BRADLEY:

THANK YOU, FREDERICA.