(The Center Square) – Former Democratic state representative Pedro Colón announced Tuesday he will be running for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat to replace retiring conservative judge Annette Ziegler.
Colón, a Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge, joins Judge Lyndsey Brunette in the race. Brunette previously ran as a Democrat and won the race to become Clark County District Attorney in 2012, the first woman to hold the position.
The election will be April 6, 2027, with a primary Feb. 16, 2027, if necessary. Ziegler will be one of two conservative justices on the court until her term ends.
Colón was part of the state assembly representing Milwaukee between 1999 and 2010 before being appointed by Gov. Jim Doyle to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2010 and serving 13 years, including winning three elections.
“I came to Milwaukee at 10 years old, not speaking a word of English. I know what it feels like to stand before a system that was not built for you,” Colón said in a statement. “For 15 years on the bench, I have made sure every person who walks into my courtroom gets the same thing: a listening ear and a fair shot. That is exactly what I will do on the Supreme Court.”
Colón was appointed to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals by Gov. Tony Evers in 2023, becoming the first Latino to serve on our state’s appellate court.
“Some of Wisconsin’s most consequential cases will come before this court over the next decade and I know that I have the experience, judgment, and empathy needed to help decide them,” Colón said. “Our state Constitution guarantees equal protection. It guarantees the right to a jury trial and a remedy in our courts when you have been wronged. It guarantees free and equal elections. I understand the law and I am ready to apply it fairly and equally to everyone who appears before the court.”
The court will have five liberal justices and two conservatives after Chris Taylor takes her seat Aug. 1 and, if Brunette or Colón wins the race, the new liberal justice would have the potential to extend the liberal majority to six members with one conservative.
