Wisconsin Appeals Court Races See Rising Costs, Political Polarization
Madison, WI – Campaigns for seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals are becoming increasingly expensive and politically charged, mirroring a national trend, according to a review of recent election data and interviews with legal experts.
While the Court of Appeals operates largely behind the scenes, handling the vast majority of everyday cases appealed from circuit courts, the stakes in these elections are rising. In 2024, civil litigants and criminal defendants filed 2,529 appeals with the appellate courts, and 561 of the appellate judges’ decisions were appealed to the Supreme Court. However, the high court only agreed to hear 17 of those appeals, with another six bypassing the appellate court altogether. Which means over 99% of cases appealed from circuit courts are decided by the Court of Appeals.
“With so few cases going to the high court, the stakes are rising in appellate court elections,” said former Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske.
A Shift in Ideology
Traditionally, Court of Appeals candidates in Wisconsin were not viewed through a strong ideological lens. However, that has changed in recent years, reflecting the growing polarization seen in the state’s Supreme Court races. Of the 16 current Court of Appeals judges, eight were appointed by Democratic governors or ran as Democrats, while six were appointed by former GOP Gov. Scott Walker or ran as conservatives.
The ideological distribution varies by district. Districts 1 and 4 are entirely composed of judges considered liberal, while District III is entirely conservative. District 2 is the only one with a split ideological makeup.
This distribution largely mirrors the political composition of the districts themselves. All counties in District 2 voted for Republicans in the 2024 presidential and 2022 gubernatorial elections, but Kenosha and Winnebago counties favored liberals in recent Supreme Court races, as did Racine County in 2025.
Recent Campaigns and Spending
The trend of increasing campaign spending was particularly evident in District 2. In 2021, Shelley Grogan, backed by Walker and conservative donors, defeated incumbent Jeff Davis in a $1.56 million campaign. In 2022, Judge Brian Lazar unseated Lori Kornblum in a $1.05 million contest. Sara Geenen scored a victory in District 1 in 2023, unseating William Brash in a $299,717 campaign, winning by a significant 37-percentage-point margin.
A highly anticipated race in District 2 was effectively ended when candidate Christine Hansen, an administrative law judge, was disqualified from the ballot due to improper paperwork. The open seat, resulting from the retirement of Presiding Judge Lisa Neubauer, had initially drawn significant interest.
Anthony LoCoco, who was positioned to challenge Neubauer, openly identifies as “a proven conservative fighter.” His campaign website criticizes “activist judges” and “progressive politics.” He is endorsed by a number of Republican politicians and conservative jurists, including Walker and several current and former judges.
Party and Outside Spending
Both major parties have become more involved in Court of Appeals races in recent years, though their spending remains lower than in Supreme Court contests. Since 2020, parties have spent $348,372 on appellate races, with Democrats outspending Republicans by more than a 4-to-1 margin.
Independent spending by special interest groups is also on the rise, though still at lower levels than in Supreme Court races. Fair Courts America, funded by conservative donors, spent $250,000 supporting Lazar, while the Republican State Leadership Committee spent $56,173 backing Grogan.
Nationally, million-dollar campaigns for intermediate appellate courts are still relatively uncommon, but Wisconsin’s recent contests demonstrate a growing trend. Experts suggest that as the importance of these courts becomes more widely recognized, campaign spending and political involvement are likely to continue to increase.
This report is a follow-up to a series of articles about how Wisconsin chooses its judges.
