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Friday, Mar. 24, 2023

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


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. 

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

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