Shirley you jest

A new chief justice will be coming to the Wisconsin Supreme Court:

In a result befitting politically polarized Wisconsin, voters on Tuesday re-elected a State Supreme Court justice seen as liberal, but passed a constitutional amendment that will most likely lead to the installation of a conservative chief justice.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley handily defeated Judge James Daley of Rock County and conservatives who wanted to increase their majority on the officially nonpartisan court, The Associated Press reported. The vote on the amendment was closer.

The current chief justice is Shirley Abrahamson. The New York Times explains the significance:

Conservatives generally lined up in favor of the constitutional amendment, which proposed having members of the court vote for the chief justice, rather than automatically installing the longest-serving judge in that position. The practical effect will most likely be the demotion of Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, 81, who has served on the court since 1976 and is viewed as part of its liberal minority.

The chief justice sets the agenda. Having one of the conservative judges set the agenda will change politics in Wisconsin.