On August 1, 2025, Susan M. Crawford officially began her term as a Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, succeeding retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Crawford previously served as a judge in Dane County’s Circuit Court, a position she held from August 1, 2018, to July 31, 2025.

Crawford, a judicial liberal, was elected on April 1, 2025, defeating her opponent Brad Schimel, a judicial conservative, with 55 percent – 45 percent of the vote.

Before her judicial tenure, Crawford held several significant roles:

• Chief legal counsel to Governor Jim Doyle, where she also chaired the Pardon Advisory Board.
• Administrator for Enforcement and Science at Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources, overseeing environmental and stimulus-related initiatives.
• Served as an assistant attorney general in both Iowa and Wisconsin, specializing in criminal appeals.
• Practiced private law with a focus on labor rights, women’s rights, voting rights, and public education.