(The Center Square) – The two candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court attempted to frame themselves as the middle-of-the-road fair candidate while painting the other candidate as partisan in the lone debate between judges Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor on Thursday night.
The debate was delayed an hour due to storms, including tornado watches and warnings in the state, more than a week after the debate was delayed when Taylor suffered from kidney stones.
The candidates are vying to replace conservative justice Rebecca Bradley for a 10-year term on the court in Tuesday’s election. Both candidates are currently appellate court judges. The court currently has four liberal judges and three conservatives.
Lazar, considered the conservative candidate, said that she is “running so that we can restore independence.”
Taylor, a former Democratic state lawmaker, said that “I have a spine of steel when it comes to making sure that people’s rights being protected.”
Lazar called the state court’s abortion ruling settled law and she would respect what she called the court’s “20-week compromise.”
Taylor, who previously represented Planned Parenthood as an attorney, would not say if she would recuse herself if the group had a case in front of the court.
“We need a judge who loves the law, not a judge who loves their causes or their beliefs or their agendas,” Lazar said.
Taylor denied that she has prejudged any case involving abortion or other causes.
“Never have I said I am an advocate,” Taylor said. “Never have I said I am an activist on the bench.”
Lazar vowed that she would not “legislate from the bench” and that “we need to have a collaborative court.”
Taylor said that her opponent would be a “rubber stamp for the federal government.”
She added that she would respect workers and unions and has had family members who were union members, saying she should respect her values.
When asked about the 2020 election, Lazar said “”Joe Biden did win. I don’t think we should be looking back and instead looking forward.”
She noted that she believes that Illinois has a gerrymandered congressional map, but that Wisconsin should have a map drawn by the Legislature and approved by the governor, not having maps being drawn by other places like a court.
Lazar also said that she was concerned with how Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in Milwaukee after allegedly assisting a defendant in eluding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I think that there has been a real attack on the independence of judges,” Lazar said.
