On Tuesday, Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal judge, made history by winning her bid for a seat on Wisconsin’s supreme court.

Her victory will shift the ideological balance of the state’s highest court, which has been dominated by a conservative majority for 15 years, the Guardian reported.

Experts in elections and democracy have hailed this election as the most significant of the year, with contentious issues such as abortion rights, redistricting, and election regulations at stake.

The contest featured Protasiewicz, a former prosecutor and judge on Milwaukee’s circuit court, against Dan Kelly, a former Wisconsin supreme court justice.

Protasiewicz will replace the conservative justice Patience Roggensack on August 1, resulting in a slim liberal majority on the court.

Written by staff