Rebecca Bradley (judge)

Rebecca Lynn Grassl Bradley (born August 2, 1971) is an American lawyer and justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, serving since 2015. She has been a state judge in Wisconsin since 2012. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Scott Walker in 2015, and won election to a 10-year term in 2016.

Rebecca Bradley
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
Assumed office
October 12, 2015
Appointed byScott Walker
Preceded byN. Patrick Crooks
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I
In office
May 2015 – October 12, 2015
Appointed byScott Walker
Preceded byRalph Adam Fine
Succeeded byWilliam W. Brash III
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 45
In office
December 2012 – May 2015
Appointed byScott Walker
Preceded byThomas P. Donegan
Succeeded byMichelle Ackerman Havas
Personal details
Born
Rebecca Lynn Grassl

(1971-08-02) August 2, 1971
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
EducationMarquette University (BA)
University of Wisconsin (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website

Early life and education

Born in Milwaukee, Bradley graduated from Marquette University in 1993 and the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1996.[1][2]

In 2016, she apologized for columns she wrote for the Marquette Tribune under a former name, Rebecca Grassl. Quotes from her 1992 columns include, “one will be better off contracting AIDS than developing cancer, because those afflicted with the politically correct disease will get all the funding,” and “how sad that the lives of degenerate drug addicts and queers are valued more than the innocent lives of more prevalent ailments.” [3] She also wrote, "but the homosexuals and drug addicts who do essentially kill themselves and others through their own behavior deservedly receive none of my sympathy."[4]

Early law career

Bradley worked as an attorney at several Milwaukee law firms, specializing in commercial litigation and intellectual property law, and as a software company executive.[5] Considered a conservative, Bradley served as president of the Milwaukee Federalist Society chapter and participated in the Thomas More Society and the Republican National Lawyers Association.[6] Bradley was a contributor to the campaign of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican.[7]

In December 2012, Walker appointed Bradley to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, where she served in the children's court division.[1][5] She was elected to a six-year term on the court in April 2013, receiving substantial support from the conservative Wisconsin Club for Growth.[5]

Supreme Court

2015 appointment

In May 2015, Walker elevated Bradley to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Judge Ralph Adam Fine. After the death of Justice N. Patrick Crooks in 2015, Bradley was appointed by Governor Walker to serve as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the remainder of Crooks' term.[8]

2016 Supreme Court election
Bradley (left) at her 2016 election

After Crooks' death, Bradley, JoAnne Kloppenburg (who narrowly lost a race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2011), and Martin Joseph "Joe" Donald each announced their candidacy for the seat in the 2016 election. In the February 16 primary, Bradley edged Kloppenburg 44.7%-43.2%, moving the two of them on to the general election in an even race.[9]

Bradley's homophobic writings that she wrote in the Marquette University student newspaper in 1992 while an undergraduate stirred controversy during the race.[10][11] She had written letters to the editor and a column for the Marquette Tribune, in which she stated she held no sympathy for AIDS patients because they were "degenerates" who had effectively chosen to kill themselves. She also referred to gays as "queers".[12][13] She called the plurality of Americans who voted for Clinton "either totally stupid or entirely evil".[14] She blasted supporters of abortion as murderers, and compared abortion to the Holocaust and slavery.[12] She attacked feminists as "angry, militant, man-hating lesbians who abhor the traditional family" and defended Camille Paglia, who had written in a 1991 column that "women who get drunk at frat parties are 'fools' and women who go upstairs with frat brothers are 'idiots'."[15] Bradley wrote that Paglia had "legitimately suggested that women play a role in date rape."[15] Bradley apologized for her student writings in 2016, shortly after they had stirred controversy.[16]

Pre-election polls showed Bradley with a slight lead, but with a significant portion of the electorate still undecided.[17] She was projected as the winner by a 53%-47% margin on election night, and she quoted Winston Churchill at the end of her victory speech: "There is nothing more exhilarating than being shot at without result."[18]

Tenure

In June 2019, Bradley wrote the majority opinion for the Wisconsin Supreme Court where the conservatives on the court upheld a series of laws that the Republican-led Wisconsin legislature and Republican Governor Scott Walker passed during a lame-duck session in order to limit the powers of the incoming Democratic Governor (Tony Evers) and Attorney General (Josh Kaul).[19][20]

During the coronavirus pandemic, she dissented to a Wisconsin Supreme Court order that ordered the postponement of jury trials and the suspension of in-person court proceedings for public health reasons.[21]

In April 2020, during the pandemic, she joined the conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in striking down Governor Evers' order to postpone a 7 April Wisconsin election due the public health risks of the coronavirus.[22] She voted in person on April 2, in Wisconsin, casting a ballot in person before the date of the election is considered an absentee vote. Examination of Justice Bradley's voting record demonstrates that she voted in person on Election Day in 4 of the 5 previous elections.[23]

In May 2020, she Bradley questioned the stay-at-home orders issued by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm. She compared the stay-at-home orders to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and labeled it "tyrannic."[24]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Circuit Court (2013)
Wisconsin Circuit Court, Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 45 Election, 2013[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Primary Election, February 19, 2013
Nonpartisan Rebecca Bradley (incumbent) 32,997 59.64%
Nonpartisan Janet Claire Protasiewicz 16,173 29.23%
Nonpartisan Gil Urfer 6,158 11.13%
Total votes '55,328' '100.0%'
General Election, April 2, 2013
Nonpartisan Rebecca Bradley (incumbent) 55,177 53.13%
Nonpartisan Janet Claire Protasiewicz 48,685 46.87%
Total votes '103,862' '100.0%'

Wisconsin Supreme Court (2016)
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 2016[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Primary Election, February 16, 2016
Nonpartisan Rebecca Bradley (incumbent) 251,823 44.61%
Nonpartisan JoAnne Kloppenburg 243,190 43.16%
Nonpartisan M. Joseph Donald 68,373 12.12%
Scattering 631 0.11%
Total votes '567,038' '100.0%'
General Election, April 5, 2016
Nonpartisan Rebecca Bradley (incumbent) 1,020,092 52.23%
Nonpartisan JoAnne Kloppenburg 928,377 47.53%
Scattering 4,678 0.24%
Total votes '1,953,147' '100.0%'
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References
  1. Garza, Jesse (May 11, 2015). "Walker appoints Judge Rebecca Bradley to District 1 Court of Appeals". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  2. Journal, Matthew DeFour | Wisconsin State. "Scott Walker appoints Rebecca Bradley to Supreme Court". madison.com. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  3. Journal, Matthew DeFour | Wisconsin State Journal, Molly Beck | Wisconsin State. "Rebecca Bradley: 'Deeply sorry' for 1992 comments about gays, people with AIDS". madison.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  4. Rodriguez, Mathew. "New Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley's Homophobic Quotes Are Despicable". Mic. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  5. Vielmetti, Bruce (June 27, 2015). "Rebecca Bradley's star rises among conservative judiciary". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  6. Vielmetti, Bruce (November 26, 2012). "Rebecca Bradley named circuit judge in Milwaukee". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  7. Fischer, Brendan (March 28, 2013). "In a Divided Wisconsin, Scott Walker Even Looms Large in Local Judicial Races". PR Watch. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  8. Profile, urbanmilwaukee.com, March 9, 2016.
  9. Glauber, Bill (February 25, 2016). "Rebecca Bradley-Joanne Kloppenburg race a dead heat for high court". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  10. Godar, Bryna (April 3, 2016). "Bradley, Kloppenburg square off in state Supreme Court race". Associated Press.
  11. Journal, Matthew DeFour | Wisconsin State Journal, Molly Beck | Wisconsin State. "Rebecca Bradley: 'Deeply sorry' for 1992 comments about gays, people with AIDS". madison.com. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  12. Marley, Patrick (March 7, 2016). "Rebecca Bradley in 1992: 'Queers' with AIDS, addicts merit no sympathy". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  13. "Election 2016: Rebecca Bradley, JoAnne Kloppenburg signal political leanings". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  14. Rebecca Grassi 'Crossfire' column, 11/11/1992
  15. Opoien, Jessie (March 9, 2016). "Rebecca Bradley in 1992: Camille Paglia 'legitimately suggested' women play role in date rape". Capital Times. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  16. Beck, Molly (March 7, 2016). "Rebecca Bradley apologizes for college newspaper columns calling gay people 'degenerates'". The Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  17. "Poll: Close race between Rebecca Bradley, JoAnne Cloppenburg". Associated Press. March 30, 2016. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  18. Marley, Patrick. "Rebecca Bradley beats JoAnne Kloppenburg in high court race". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  19. "On 4-3 vote, Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds state's lame-duck laws limiting power of Democratic governor". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  20. "Wisconsin Supreme Court Sides With GOP Lawmakers To Limit Democratic Governor's Power". NPR.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  21. Journal, Riley Vetterkind | Wisconsin State. "As election nears, COVID-19 pandemic highlights judicial style of Supreme Court candidates". madison.com. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  22. Johnson, Shawn (April 6, 2020). "Wisconsin's Election Is Happening After State Supreme Court Blocks Evers". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  23. Bice, Daniel. "Bice: All seven Supreme Court justices voted absentee, even those who hadn't in the past". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  24. "The Latest: Wisconsin waives road test for young drivers". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  25. "Elections". Wisconsin Blue Book 2013-2014 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. 2013. pp. 876, 878. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  26. "Elections Results". Wisconsin Blue Book 2017-2018 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. 2017. pp. 508, 511. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Thomas P. Donegan		 Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 45
2012 – 2015		 Succeeded by
Michelle Ackerman Havas
Preceded by
Ralph Adam Fine		 Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I
2015		 Succeeded by
William W. Brash III
Preceded by
Pat Crooks		 Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
2015 – present		 Incumbent
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