A Celebration Service for Justice Walsh Bradley

You are invited to “A Celebration of Service” honoring Chief Justice Ann Walsh Bradley’s three decades on the Wisconsin Supreme Court just weeks before her retirement. The program will be held at 4:30 Thursday afternoon at the Capitol Rotunda.

Originally from Richland Center, the 74-year-old graduated from Richland Center High School in 1968. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Webster University in 1972 and worked as a high school teacher before graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1976. She worked as an attorney for nine years before embarking on her judicial career. In 1985, she was appointed as a circuit court judge in Marathon County. Ten years later, the justice made history by becoming the first woman to be elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court rather than appointed. She won re-election twice, first in 2005 and then in 2015; she was elevated to chief justice in May. Her seat on the court is being filled by Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, who was elected in April.

Ann Walsh Bradley’s tenure is the fifth-longest in the court’s 177-year history. It has included participation in more than 28,000 cases, 2,375 oral arguments and the authorship of nearly 600 written opinions.

“A Celebration of Service” will be held at 4:30 Thursday Thursday at the Capitol Rotunda, with a reception to follow. Members of the public interested in attending can RSVP online at justicewalshbradley.rsvpify.com, where people can also leave thank-you and congratulatory notes.