Committee
Friends of Maria Lazar
During my 11 years as a judge serving my home state of Wisconsin, I have faithfully applied the law to ensure justice for all parties. I honored (and will continue to honor) my oath to respect the Constitutions and to rule without respect to persons (which means everyone in my court always has a fair and full opportunity to present their case without discrimination). Unlike a politician, I have never (and will never) legislate from the bench. I presided over Drug Treatment Court. I have taught literacy to adults and served on community boards. I served the State for 5 years at the Wisconsin DOJ representing state agencies and officials. I have been active in my church, my children’s schools, and I consistently educate students, lawyers and judges about the courts and our legal system.
Integrity. Honesty. Independence. Impartiality. Respect for the law. A deep sense of justice. And, the ability to work collaboratively with other judges.
I have never been a member of a political party or been appointed to any of my judicial positions by a governor. Partisan views have absolutely no place on the bench: judges are not to present their views, nor are they to act as politicians and legislate from the bench. I am not a partisan and have never acted as one. I have an established track record of ruling with impartiality, independence, and fairness on both the circuit court (where I served for 7 years) and the court of appeals. Every individual in my courtroom has my utmost respect and is treated with dignity. I will continue that practice when I am a Justice on the State Supreme Court and will strive to restore the public’s trust and respect for this third branch of our government.
I have consistently advocated for standard rules that manage to address both the subjective and objective biases that judges may have when they are faced with such cases. The public deserves to have faith and trust in their courts and their ability to have their case heard by a judge that is free from bias as well as the appearance of impropriety.
United States Supreme Court Justice Neal Gorsuch. I respect his dedication and devotion to the law, his ability to write clear and concise opinions (both on that court and while on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals), his independent voice (that does not cater to any party or political point of view), and his written opinions on legal issues including the separation of powers, statutory interpretation, and the appropriate deference due to the administrative state.
Committee
Chris Taylor for Justice
Campaign Phone
608-286-2409
Education
B.A. University of Pennsylvania (1990), J.D. University of Wisconsin Law School (1995)
Personal Pronouns
She/Her
My 30+ year legal career has been dedicated to ensuring the rights and freedoms of all Wisconsinites are protected.
I've worked in private practice helping families navigate tough legal issues. I served as legal and policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin where I fought to protect access to reproductive health care and the ability of women and families to make personal decisions about their care. As a state legislator I worked to strengthen our laws to improve public safety and protect victims of domestic violence. Now, as a Court of Appeals Judge, I work to ensure our laws and Constitution are upheld and that cases before me receive a fair and impartial hearing.
Throughout my career, I've focused on making sure our legal system protects people's rights and that everyone—regardless of who they are—gets treated fairly and equally under the law.
Fairness, independence, impartiality and a commitment to justice are at the core of my judicial philosophy. I believe the judiciary must be a place where every Wisconsinite receives equal justice under the law and where their rights and freedoms are protected.
My family's experience taught me that the law must work for ordinary people, not just the powerful. My maternal grandmother was a single mother to three kids. She struggled to get by until she got a union job with a good wage and was able to raise her family and help all of her children go to college. Laws that lift up working people, let them have a voice in their workplace, and be fairly compensated help them not just to survive, but thrive.
I do this every single day as a judge. Politics have no place in the judiciary. One central role of the judiciary is to hold the other branches of government, and the federal government when it intrudes into the independence of Wisconsin, accountable. I've demonstrated on both the circuit court and the Court of Appeals that I am guided only by the rule of law, equal justice for all, a fair process for every litigant, and dispensing justice in the fairest way possible. We must make our courts more accessible for all Wisconsinites and reject any effort to prioritize a political agenda or the interests of the most powerful. Courts must deliver justice for the people. On our Wisconsin Supreme Court, I will be a justice for the people of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's recusal rules require judges to evaluate each case individually to determine whether they can be fair and impartial. I take my recusal obligations seriously and examine every case in front of me to ensure I can fulfil my responsibilities. I am the only candidate in this race who supports holding public hearings to consider strengthening judicial recusal rules in the state. Some of the current judicial recusal rules were written by powerful special interests who spend millions of dollars in judicial races. This is wrong and the people of Wisconsin should be able to be heard and weigh in on the judicial recusal rules. Wisconsinites deserve to have total faith and trust in their judicial system.
I admire Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for her brilliant legal mind, commitment to equal justice under law, and her meticulous analysis and application of the law. She demonstrated that justice can be both principled and pragmatic, building consensus while making sure that individual rights and freedoms are protected under the law. Her dedication to the rule of law, ensuring the courts remain accessible to all Americans and delivering justice is an example for all judges.
