Look at all of you!
Good evening!
Good evening.
I'm Jill Kravsky.
I'm the Chief Justice of Wisconsin
Supreme Court.
Thank you.
What an exciting night for
Wisconsin.
I am so honored to
be here with all of you to
celebrate.
Yeah!
And celebrate, we will.
Look, I want to begin by taking this
opportunity to thank every
candidate for judicial office
who put their name on the
ballot across the state this April,
including Judge Maria Lazar.
Judicial races at all
level are so important for our
democracy.
In Wisconsin, we have been electing
judges and justices since
1848.
This is how we ensure
those in the judicial branch
are accountable to the people
of this state.
And this is how maintain the
public's confidence in our
court system.
Now, as some of you know, for
about a decade, we have
been fighting tirelessly to
secure a Supreme Court
majority that upholds
and protects your rights
and your freedoms.
You
We have fought for an
enduring majority that respects
the rule of law and democratic
structures.
All right.
Sorry.
Those of you in this room,
those of you watching online or
perhaps on TV, I
just want you to know that my fellow
justices and I, we have
all been in this fight to reclaim
your court for a long
time.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
No.
In a moment, I'm going to introduce
our friend and colleague, someone
who is deeply dedicated to public
service.
But before I do, I want to
recognize a few other amazing
women in this room tonight.
And first, I am going to begin with
Justice Anne Walsh Bradley.
Yay!
You
She left the court last year after
30 years of service,
including as our chief justice.
Ann Walsh-Bradley was the
conscience of this court
for every minute that
she served.
Thank you. Woo!
Justice Rebecca Dallet.
Thank you.
Thank you!
No one, and I mean no
one, on this court works harder.
She was the first non-incumbent
winner in our little run here.
And you should all blame her
for persuading me that this was
something that I could do because if
it weren't for her, I never would
have run in 2020.
Thank you very much.
Justice Janet Protasewicz.
She became a national
figure overnight and continues
to dedicate herself to our state
and our community and
like Ann and Becky she is a
phenomenal justice.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
And, of course,
Justice Susan Crawford.
Thank you so much!
Who last year not only
beat her opponent, but beat
the richest man in the world.
It was the most expensive race,
a judicial race in history.
And now Susan Crawford shows up
every day. She rolls up her sleeves,
and she gets the job done.
Woo! Woo!
Woo!
So let's get to why we're all here.
Woo!
After I was elected to the Wisconsin
Supreme Court in 2020,
thanks to many of you in this room,
Chris Taylor succeeded me on
the bench in the Dane County Circuit
Court.
We spent time talking as I was about
to begin my new role and
she was about to take the bench for
the first time.
What struck me most was
how much Chris Taylor truly
cares about.
As a judge on the Circuit Court
and now on the Court of Appeals,
Chris Taylor has earned a reputation
as a prepared and
independent and a fair judge
who is committed to the rule of law,
giving every party in front of her a
fair shot, and treating everyone
with kindness, dignity,
and respect.
Chris and her team ran
an amazing campaign.
You
They left nothing on the
field.
She traveled to every single corner
of this state.
And you know what?
Chris Taylor loved every
minute of it.
She loved me.
She loved meeting every voter she
came in contact with.
So tonight, it is no surprise
to me that Wisconsinites
overwhelmingly elected
Chris Taylor. Thank you. Thank you all so much
for being here.
You
Thank you.
Overwhelmingly, let me say it again,
elected Chris Taylor to
be the next justice on your
Supreme Court.
You
I know she is going to
bring the same dedication she has
shown over her 30-year legal
career to her new position.
She will uphold our laws,
she will defend the Constitution,
she will stay committed to our
democracy, and she will
never forget, Chris Taylor
will never forget about
you, the people across the state
of Wisconsin.
Thank you.
It is my honor, and
it is my absolute privilege.
Please join me in welcoming your
next justice on the Wisconsin
Supreme Court, Justice-elect
Chris Palmer!
Wow,
we did it, Wisconsin!
Thank you.
Good luck.
Tonight, the people
of Wisconsin stood up
for our rights and freedoms,
our democracy, our elections,
and a strong state Supreme
Court that will protect the
independence of our beloved
state.
Once again, Wisconsin
showed the entire
nation that we
believe that the people should
be at the center of
government, and the priorities.
And the priority of
our judiciary,
not the billionaires,
not the most powerful and
privileged, but the people.
Just a few minutes ago,
I spoke with Judge Maria Lazar,
who called to concede the
race.
Yeah. Yeah!
Woo!
Woo! Woo!
I really appreciate her call
and I wish her and her
family well.
Running first seat on our state's
highest court does take courage and
I really respect that.
I have so many
people, so many of you
to thank for this moment.
First to my family,
my lovely husband Jim.
And my sons.
And our beloved dog Ollie,
who communicated with many of you.
He will appreciate that.
He will let him know.
But I, my family
is my everything.
My kids, my husband, this
incredible family behind me.
I just, I love all
of you. I so appreciate your
sacrifices, Jim.
Jim was on hockey transport
duty for 11
months. So.
I love all of you.
I appreciate you all so much.
And I'm joined tonight by my sister
Kayle, she's having a good
time. You
And tonight we are remembering
our mother, who passed
away in October, right when
this campaign was getting
going.
And, you know, I can't help but
wish she was with us.
But this one's for you, Mom.
And I'm also joined on stage by
my niece, Hannah, and my
nephew, Maddie.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
My brother-in-law, Mark, and
sister-in-, where is she?
They, you know, we do what
we do for our
children so often.
We want something better.
And these kids and my
own kids inspire me every day
to want to be better and want to
make this state better.
And I know that you all join
me in that.
And I so appreciate that.
I am also so.
So happy and so
in awe of these young
people who powered my campaign.
Wow!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
You all are the future
of our state,
and you, I know,
will continue to work to make this
state better.
I was so in awe of
the time I got to spend on campus.
It was amazing all around
the state.
So thank you all so much.
I also want to, where is Ashley
Frans, my campaign manager?
Ashley just turned
30, so, you know,
say happy birthday to her.
Ashley, Ashley,
but she had such
a vision, and we worked and
respected my vision for this
campaign, and just
led the ship and brought us
through, and she is going to change
this world, no doubt about
it.
So thank you, Ashley.
Thank you.
And to the rest of my incredible
team, Abigail, who
was with me, taking me all over
the stage, everywhere.
You
Sawyer, Maya,
Toby, Jackie. Jackie?
Haley, Darren,
Sam, and Scott, thank you.
We got in front of voters across
this state.
Thank you for raising the
money to keep this campaign strong,
for keeping the schedule in order,
and for traveling with me
for the last 11 months.
I see so many friends and
colleagues in this audience.
I am just so grateful
for your support.
Dear, dear friends, the minute I
announced that I was going to run,
just the unwavering
allegiance and support that
you all have given me, thank you so,
so much to my close friends and
colleagues.
It really meant the world to me to
have you by my side.
Thank you.
Thank you very
much.
And then, of course, to our amazing
justices of the Wisconsin
Supreme Court.
You
Thank you very much.
Chief Justice Jill Korofsky.
And justices,
Becky Dowlett,
Thank you.
Can I have her a sandwich?
Yeah!
And Susan Crawford.
Thanks!
Thank you, I'll get them.
Thank you so much for
your leadership and your dedication
to our Supreme Court and to the
people. I look so
forward in joining you.
Four awesome justices on
the state Supreme Court.
And a real
special welcome to
Chief Justice Ann Walsh-Bradley.
In 1995,
when Justice Ann Walsh-Bradley first
got elected to the Wisconsin
Supreme Court, I was graduating from
law school, and
I remember that
election. It was the first time ever
a woman had been elected,
and it inspired in me to
dream something big.
I didn't quite know how to live that
dream, but thank you,
Justice Ann-Walsh Bradley.
Thank you for being the
first.
And thank you to the people of
Wisconsin.
Running in this campaign
for the last 11 months was
truly a joy.
I met people
in the smallest
towns in the largest cities,
and they were all working to
improve our democracy.
They were working to strengthen
their communities.
And they inspired me
every single day to keep going.
We live in
an incredible state and people
are hungry for a government
that works for them.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Woo.
Woo. Woo.
Woo.
People are hungry for a judiciary
that prioritizes
them,
that protects our rights, that
affords all Wisconsinites
equal justice under the law.
That is exactly what I will do
as your next state
Supreme Court justice.
Thank you very much.
And last, but certainly not least,
thank you to the tens of
thousands of grassroots supporters
who were part of this campaign.
In communities throughout, that's
you all.
Yay! Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you!
In communities throughout our
state, armies of volunteers knocked
on countless doors,
made thousands of phone calls,
and wrote, I don't know, probably
millions of postcards.
And I got one telling
me to vote for me.
So that was fun.
It worked!
There is nothing more powerful
than when we come together,
organizing and raising our
voices.
And I am so grateful for
the grassroots support that
I needed to win this race.
This was a grassroots
campaign about the people of
the state of Wisconsin.
And tonight, the people of Wisconsin
spoke.
And what you said is clear.
We are moving forward.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
For our rights, for
our democracy,
for every family and
individual in this state that
deserves a fair shot
at justice.
Tonight is a victory for every
person in this State who
believes that the court should work
for all of us.
I grew up understanding what
the law can do for ordinary
people.
My grandmother was a single mom.
Who struggled to make ends
meet to support my mother
until she got a
union job.
Thank you.
Which enabled her to support
three children,
which enabled her to help my mother
go to college.
My mother was a fifth grade public
school teacher. You
So.
And it enabled her to
not just survive, but
thrive. And that's what I want for
all people in Wisconsin.
The law can be a
tool to lift people up, to improve
their lives, to strengthen our
communities. And that is exciting.
That drove me to law school.
And I've spent now 30,
my 30-year legal career as a lawyer,
in private practice as a law and
policy director for Planned
Parenthood.
As a legislator and for the
last six years as a
judge, to
work to make sure that people's
rights and freedoms are protected,
that survivors of domestic violence
and sexual assault are protected
and respected, and
that working people who
actually make the pie get
a slice of it instead of
the leftover crumbs.
Thank you very much.
And I have always valued
every woman's ability to
make her own personal, private
health care decisions.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Every single day as a judge,
I work to ensure that the cases and
the people before me get
a fair and deliberate consideration
and that laws are
applied independently and
impartially with an eye always
towards achieving justice.
Politics has no place in the
judiciary and the judiciary
is not a rubber stamp
for any party, group,
or branch of government, including
the federal government.
I am so honored that
I get to continue
this work at the State Supreme
Court. It is an honor
that the people of Wisconsin have
bestowed on me that I will
never, ever forget, and I treasure
it.
Tonight, we stand
strongly for a State
Supreme court that prioritizes
the people of Wisconsin,
their rights, their lives,
and the independence of our great
state.
And for a court that holds
everyone accountable under
the law, no matter how
powerful or privileged.
I will be a justice for
you, the people of
Wisconsin.
Thank you, Wisconsin.
Forward we go, together.