Waukesha Judge Decides Against State Supreme Court Run

WAUKESHA, WI -- Citing family obligations, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Maria S. Lazar said she's passing on running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2019.

“As I deliberated about this election, though, I also looked to my family and where we stand and what we face in 2018-19. This summer, my focus was on my husband and children, and not on a judicial election. That made my decision not to run in 2019 much easier. For me, family, faith, and respect for the law are three preeminent driving forces that propel me forward. Simply put,
this is not the year for me to seek a new judicial office," she said in a Monday statement. "I am not ruling out a future run for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. In the meantime, my service to Waukesha County and to my judicial ideals shall remain a driving force."

Before passing on the chance to run, Lazar earlier expressed interest in running for a seat on Wisconsin's State Supreme Court in April 2019. Lazar said at the time that she had deep concerns over what has been happening at all levels of the Judiciary.

"Judicial elections are not political, partisan events, and it is long past time for judicial candidates
to stop the name-calling, to grow up, and to, quite frankly, act like the judicial officers we are
and should be; judges are to be the servants of the law, not the other way around," she stated.

Instead, Lazar said that she's endorsing Judge Brian Hagedorn for election to the State Supreme Court in 2019. "Judge Hagedorn’s stated positions more closely resemble my thoughts, practices and judicial viewpoint," she stated.

Image Via Wisconsin Department of Justice