A very bright light and wonderfully powerful voice is leaving our State Supreme Court. I join the vast majority of the citizens of our great state of Wisconsin who regret and will sincerely miss her intellect, wit, and judicial philosophy on our highest court. Her absence will echo for years.
Justice Rebecca Bradley was not just a phenomenal jurist, but she wrote opinions that not only set out the law in precise, understandable terms but soared with an artistry that is not often seen. Just as I imagined United State Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia standing fast as the winds of chaos and political division swirled around him when he wrote his many formidable dissents, Justice Bradley has withstood multiple assaults against the Court and maintained her equanimity with an enviable calm and always managed to steer towards that guiding star for all jurists: our Constitution.
With eloquent turns of phrase, Justice Bradley used her deep intellect and legal acumen to write for the law, for our future, for all of Wisconsin. It takes courage to stand as one branch against all of the others; Justice Bradley did precisely that. It takes courage to stand strong when our courts are under attack from political winds and when judges are asked to bend to non-judicial ideological identities. It takes courage to stand up, even in dissent, and unflinchingly defend the law. Judicial courage is necessary today more than ever.
One cannot help but wonder why our state Supreme Court appears to no longer be a place of diverging and keen intellectual, judicial views. When I first passed the bar, I looked with somewhat awe at the members of that court and admired their deep dedication to the law — regardless of their judicial point of view, if anything, those diverging voices echoed the deep-seated independence of Wisconsin itself. Now, it appears to be a political — not judicial — enclave and no longer is a devotion to the law the uppermost consideration. The loss of Justice Rebecca Grassl Bradley is one more step in the wrong direction.
It is not too late to start to restore that Court — and all of our courts. Wisconsin deserves better. The absence of Justice Rebecca Bradley will be difficult to overcome. She leaves an outstanding legacy of written opinions that will continue to shine and inspire the judiciary for decades. She will be greatly missed. I wish Justice Bradley all the best and look forward to seeing how she will continue to elevate the practice of law and administration of Justice on whatever next steps she takes on her incredible judicial journey. Godspeed.
I am seriously considering a run for the State Supreme Court and I am grateful to those that have already reached out to me. I will make a decision in the next few weeks. Thank you.