Judge Susan Crawford launches campaign for Wisconsin Supreme Court

Crawford: “I am running for Supreme Court justice to protect the basic rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites under our constitution. Those rights are threatened by an all-out effort to politicize the court to drive a right-wing agenda - I believe Wisconsin deserves better.” 

MADISON, Wis. – Following three decades of experience as a judge, prosecutor, attorney, and public servant, Judge Susan Crawford announced this morning she will run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

“I am running for Supreme Court justice to protect the basic rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites under our constitution. Those rights are threatened by an all-out effort to politicize the court to drive a right-wing agenda - I believe Wisconsin deserves better,” said Judge Susan Crawford. “As a former prosecutor and a judge, I know we need Supreme Court justices who understand what it takes to keep communities safe, who are impartial and fair, who will use common sense, and who won’t politicize the constitution to undermine our most basic rights. For the first time in years, we have a majority on the court focused on getting the facts right, following the law, and protecting our constitutional rights. We can’t risk having that progress reversed.”

Judge Crawford’s career began as an Assistant Attorney General with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, where she took on some of the state’s toughest criminal cases, holding violent criminals accountable and enforcing our laws. “I believe people in Wisconsin deserve to feel safe as they go about their lives - in their homes, driving down the road, or walking to the grocery store. My top priority in making decisions is always to make our communities safer,” Judge Crawford said.

 After serving as a prosecutor for nearly a decade, she continued her public service in leadership positions at multiple state agencies, including the Department of Corrections and Department of Natural Resources, before being named chief legal counsel to the governor. Following her service in state government, Judge Crawford became a private practice attorney, where she protected voting and workers’ rights, and represented Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to defend access to reproductive health care.

Elected judge in 2018, Crawford currently sits on Dane County Circuit Court Branch 1, where she has presided over homicide, sexual assault, and domestic violence cases, among others. 

 Having grown up in Chippewa Falls, Judge Crawford has Wisconsin values rooted in common sense, responsibility, and honesty. She and her husband Shawn live in Madison and are the proud parents of two young adult children.

 “I grew up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and my husband and I chose to raise our family here in Wisconsin, too. My dad got an education at UW-Madison with the GI Bill and worked as an engineer. My mom was a homemaker and later a working mom. Together, they raised four kids in a family that valued fairness, accountability, and community. Those are the Wisconsin values I'll bring to the court,” added Judge Susan Crawford. “I know what it's like to worry about your kids and hope you'll be able to give them a better life, just like our parents did for us. As a prosecutor and a judge, I've made tough decisions to keep our families safe. When I'm sitting behind the bench as a judge, I'm standing up for Wisconsin families."

While Judge Crawford has dedicated her career to protecting the rights of Wisconsinites and being a fair, impartial public servant, Brad Schimel, her opponent, has proven to be a right-wing extremist who will use his power to promote his own partisan agenda. He has advocated for enforcing the state’s 1849 criminal abortion ban, fought to restrict access to contraceptives, and failed rape victims by ignoring a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits – making it harder to hold violent criminals accountable and take them off the streets. 

More information about Judge Crawford and her campaign is available online at crawfordforwi.com and you can join her campaign on Facebook, X, and Instagram. 

Click here to download a high-resolution photo of Judge Susan Crawford.