Ziegler picked as Wisconsin chief justice

Every odd-numbered year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court gets to choose its chief justice right after the April election. 

This year, Annette Ziegler has been selected to lead the court. 

Wisconsin voters passed a referendum in 2015 to end the practice of giving the chief justice title to the court member with the most seniority. 

It was seen as a move by the conservative majority on the court to remove liberal Shirley Abrahamson from that position, and she was replaced as chief by Pat Roggensack, who has held the title for six years. 

Under the old rule, liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley would be the current chief justice.  The court has a 4-to-3 conservative edge now, and the next Supreme Court election in Wisconsin is in 2023.   

Roggensack’s seat on the court is the next one to come up for statewide election.