Ann Walsh Bradley (néeAnn Ellen Walsh; born July 5, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist, and the longest currently-serving justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She was elected to the Supreme Court in 1995 and was re-elected in 2005 and 2015. She has announced she will not run for re-election again; her term expires July 31, 2025. She previously served ten years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
Early life and career
Ann Walsh Bradley was born Ann Ellen Walsh in Richland Center, Wisconsin, in 1950. In her youth, she worked at her father's bar, the Old Swamp Inn.[1] She graduated from Richland Center High School and went on to Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. She worked three jobs to pay for college, and earned her bachelor's degree in 1972.[1][2] While in school, she worked for the Democratic Party presidential primary campaign of New York mayor John Lindsay. She later said that this was her last involvement in partisan politics.[3]
She moved to Wausau, Wisconsin, after completing her legal education and worked for three years as an attorney for Wausau Insurance Companies. In 1979, she went into private practice and associated with the law firm Bradley, Hoover, Grady, & Molinaro. During that time, she also served part time as an assistant city attorney. She also worked as a public defender, and in 1983 was appointed to the state Public Defender Board.[6]
In February 1985, Governor Tony Earl appointed her to a vacant Wisconsin circuit court judgeship in Marathon County. A year later, she won a full six year term as judge, and was re-elected in 1992, without facing an opponent in either election.[7]
Wisconsin Supreme Court
In April 1994, Chief Justice Nathan Heffernan announced he would not stand for re-election in 1995, and would therefore retire from the court later that year when his term expired. This created the first open seat election for Wisconsin Supreme Court since 1983. Bradley announced her candidacy the next day.[8] She had twice previously solicited appointment to the court, in 1992 and 1993, when two previous justices had resigned in the middle of their terms.[9] Ultimately, three other notable Wisconsin lawyers and judges entered the 1995 race: Brown County circuit judge N. Patrick Crooks, Court of Appeals judge Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr., and Madison attorney Patience D. Roggensack. Bradley attempted to maintain political independence in the race, and criticized Crooks for emphasizing his endorsements from Republican governor Tommy Thompson's political organization. Bradley touted her own bipartisan endorsements, from Democratic former governor Tony Earl and Republican Sue Ann Thompson—the wife of Governor Tommy Thompson—who served as a co-chair of the Bradley campaign.[9]
In the top-two nonpartisan primary, Bradley topped the field of five, receiving 38% of the vote. Crooks came in second with 26% and moved on to face Bradley in the April general election. Bradley continued to emphasize her independence from politics in the general election campaign, though by then she had also picked up the endorsement of prominent liberal judges in the state and the Wisconsin Education Association Council teachers' union group.[3] Bradley received 54% of the general election vote; she was sworn in at the Wisconsin State Capitol on August 16, 1995.[1]
She won re-election without opposition in 2005.
2011 conflict with Justice Prosser
On June 13, 2011, Bradley had a confrontation with Justice David Prosser Jr. which allegedly became violent. Prosser, Bradley, and all other justices besides Patrick Crooks were informally discussing the next day decision that would overturn Judge Sumi's ruling on the collective bargaining law in Bradley's office. There are different accounts as to what occurred.[10] According to Bradley, the discussion became heated after Bradley asked Prosser to leave her office and said she was bothered by his disparaging comments towards Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. Prosser allegedly then put his hands around Bradley's throat in what was described as a choke hold. Prosser himself said that these reports would be proven to be false.[11]
According to other anonymous sources, Bradley attacked Prosser. "She charged him with fists raised," the anonymous source said. Prosser "put his hands in a defensive posture," the anonymous source said. "He blocked her." In doing so, the anonymous source said, he made contact with Bradley's neck.[12] Prosser denied he choked Bradley, saying "Once there's a proper review of the matter and the facts surrounding it are made clear, the anonymous claims made to the media will be proven false." Bradley stated that Prosser had choked her: "The facts are that I was demanding that he get out of my office and he put his hands around my neck in anger in a chokehold." Neither Prosser nor Bradley faced criminal charges from the incident.[13] The state Judicial Commission told its special prosecutor not to pursue new avenues to forward its ethics case against Prosser.[14]
Later years and retirement
Scott Walker's administration was also dogged through its first term with a John Doe investigation into his campaign fundraising. Bradley chose to recuse herself from Supreme Court cases dealing with the Walker investigation, because her son, John Bradley, was a law partner with one of the lawyers in the case. Bradley said at the time, "This court has been subject to extensive criticism for its recusal rules and practices. Weak recusal rules and lapses in recusal practices undermine the public trust and confidence in a fair and impartial judiciary."[15]
Bradley faced a contested election in 2015, but prevailed with nearly 60% of the vote over Rock County circuit judge James P. Daley.[16]
The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election gave liberals on the court a majority for the first time since 2008. On the night of the election, Bradley commented that she intended to run for a fourth term in 2025. A year later, however, Bradley announced that she will not seek re-election in 2025 and will retire when her current term expires on July 31, 2025.[17]
Personal life and family
Ann Walsh took the last name Bradley when she married Mark J. Bradley in 1978, at St. James Catholic Church in Wausau. Mark Bradley is also a prominent attorney in Wisconsin and was a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. Mark's father was John Bradley, known for being one of the servicemen depicted in the famous photo Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima in World War II.[9] Mark and Ann have four adult children.[5]
Bradley is an elected member of the American Law Institute, a former associate dean and faculty member of the Wisconsin Judicial College, a former chair of the Wisconsin Judicial Conference, a Democrat[18][19][20] and a lecturer for the American Bar Association's Asia Law Initiative.
^Theobald, H. Rupert; Barish, Lawrence S., eds. (1987). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1987-1988 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 863. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
^Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1993). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1993-1994 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 874. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
^Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1995). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1995-1996 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 893. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (2005). "Chapter 10 - Elections". State of Wisconsin 2005-2006 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 893. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (2015). "Chapter 10 - Elections". State of Wisconsin 2015-2016 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 879. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
Further reading
Aquinas News, Aquinas High School, La Crosse, Wisconsin, September 1972, 'Six new teachers join staff', Carol First, class of 1974, pg. 12. Article about Ann Walsh joining the Aquinas High School faculty.
Aquinas News, Aquinas High School, La Crosse, Wisconsin, May 1973, pg. 8, 'Resignations announced for four AHS teachers'. Ann Walsh returning to graduate school to study law at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the fall.
Aquin 1973, Aquinas High School, La Crosse, Wisconsin, two photos of Ann Walsh, pg. 63.
