Wisconsin
Wisconsin Supreme Court race: Crawford, Schimel talk experience, philosophies
Susan Crawford; Brad Schimel
MILWAUKEE – Voters will elect Wisconsin’s newest Supreme Court justice in four weeks. With majority control up for grabs, it’s arguably the most impactful Wisconsin election of 2025.
Who are the candidates?
The backstory:
Supreme Court candidates are officially non-partisan. But liberals are backing Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, while conservatives are supporting Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel.
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Crawford was previously a prosecutor and an attorney who, at one time, represented Planned Parenthood. She was also part of former Democrat Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration. Schimel was previously Waukesha County’s district attorney and Wisconsin’s Republican attorney general.
Marquette hosts forums
What they’re saying:
Marquette University recently hosted separate forums with both Crawford and Schimel for supporters to get to know the candidates. The questions mainly focused around experience, philosophies and plans to remain impartial if given the seat.
On their experience
Crawford: “I have such broad experience going from criminal prosecution to all the administrative work that I did, and now in private practice, covering many different area of law, and now as a judge.”
Schimel: “It’s the time on the front lines where I got to see close up the challenges people face. The notion that there are always two sides to every story.”
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On judicial philosophy
Crawford: “I’m a pragmatist, and that means I pay really close attention to the context of the decision that I am making. I don’t look at legal decisions as abstract principles.”
Schimel: “What a judicial conservative does is the foundation of what you do is you don’t make law…Interpret law when you have to, but you apply the law as it’s written.”
On remaining impartial
Crawford: “As a judge, you learn to check yourself and make sure that you’re able to make fair and impartial decisions.”
Schimel: “It’s actually not just easy, it’s liberating. Everything is political now – our personal lives, even shows.”
Control of the court
Dig deeper:
Liberals have held control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court since 2023, when Janet Proterowicz won election. That flipped the court to the left and ended 15 years of conservative control.
Since then, the court has decided some national attention-grabbing issues, including striking down Republican-drawn legislative maps, which was a decision that took a dent out of the Republican majority in Madison. The court also reversed itself on absentee ballot drop boxes, allowing them once again.
When is the election?
What’s next:
The election is on Tuesday, April 1.
Editor’s note: The forum with Schimel was held on Feb. 18. The forum with Crawford was held on Feb. 28.
The Source: FOX6 News attended the Marquette University events and referenced prior coverage of the race for information in this report.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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