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Was Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly ever elected as a judge?

By Erin Gretzinger
NO

While Dan Kelly served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for four years, he was not elected to the position. 

In 2016, Kelly was appointed to the state Supreme Court by then-Gov. Scott Walker. Kelly, who was a private practice attorney in Waukesha, filled a seat vacated by conservative Justice David Prosser. In the 2020 spring election, Kelly ran against liberal candidate Jill Karofsky to keep his seat. Karofsky, a Dane County judge, beat Kelly 55% to 45%. 

Kelly is now facing liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, in the spring 2023 election. The winner will occupy the state Supreme Court seat being vacated by retiring conservative Justice Patience Roggensack. The election will be April 4. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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