Judge Susan Crawford on Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast: Judge Susan Crawford on Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Release Date: March 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas delve into the pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race, featuring an in-depth conversation with Judge Susan Crawford, a Circuit Court Judge from Dane County and a candidate for the Supreme Court seat. The discussion centers around the high-stakes election, the influence of prominent figures like Elon Musk and MAGA supporters, and the potential ramifications for Wisconsin's judiciary and democracy at large.

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Background of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

The Supreme Court race in Wisconsin has garnered national attention due to its potential to shift the court's balance. Currently, liberals hold a narrow 4-3 majority, which Judge Crawford describes as a "pro democracy" stance. However, significant financial interference from Elon Musk and MAGA-aligned supporters threatens to alter this balance.

Notable Quote:

"It's the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat where currently Liberals maintain a 4 to 3 majority on the court. I like to refer to that more as pro democracy."
— Judge Susan Crawford [02:45]

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Elon Musk and MAGA Influence

Elon Musk has invested millions into the race, supporting Brad Schimmel, the right-wing MAGA candidate. Judge Crawford criticizes Musk's tactics, accusing him of creating politically motivated action committees with deceptive names to undermine Democratic candidates. This strategy mirrors the manipulative advertising seen during the 2024 elections.

Notable Quote:

"They create these political action committees with kind of deceptive names that make it seem like they're supportive of a Democratic candidate... they're running the playbook that we saw during the 2024 election."
— Judge Susan Crawford [02:45]

Musk's involvement is not purely political; he has business interests in Wisconsin, such as Tesla's legal battles over dealership laws, which further incentivize him to influence the state's judiciary.

Notable Quote:

"Tesla just filed a lawsuit in Wisconsin to try to throw out a decision... So he thinks he can buy himself a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court."
— Judge Susan Crawford [05:46]

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Brad Schimmel’s Position and Campaign

Brad Schimmel, backed by Musk and MAGA supporters, positions himself as a champion for the Trump agenda. He claims that the current Supreme Court has treated Donald Trump unfairly, particularly regarding the 2020 election results. Despite these claims, Schimmel's actions and affiliations suggest a broader partisan and special interests-driven approach.

Notable Quote:

"He doesn't care about Wisconsin... He's got a personal stake in Wisconsin courts, and I think he thinks he can buy himself a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court."
— Judge Susan Crawford [05:46]

Schimmel presents himself as a fair and impartial candidate focused on fact-based justice, however, Crawford disputes this portrayal, highlighting his extreme right-wing agenda and alignment with special interests.

Notable Quote:

"He's gonna bring a far right agenda, he'll lock in a very conservative majority on the Supreme Court."
— Brad Schimmel [07:13]

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Judge Susan Crawford’s Vision and Concerns

Judge Crawford emphasizes the significance of this election beyond Wisconsin, underscoring the threat posed by partisanship and external influences on the judiciary. She warns that a Schimmel victory would result in a judiciary that prioritizes special interests over the public good, undermining essential rights and protections.

Notable Quote:

"If Brad Schimmel gets that seat... anything involving the rights of Wisconsinites, things like Reproductive healthcare, access to health insurance coverage, protection of the environment... I think those go by the wayside."
— Brad Schimmel [07:13]

Crawford also highlights the growing public dissatisfaction with Musk and similar influencers, noting invasive privacy concerns and the erosion of trust in democratic institutions.

Notable Quote:

"We're seeing... Republican politicians canceling the town halls. People are pissed that Doge and Elon Musk's crew... are invading their privacy."
— Judge Susan Crawford [08:38]

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Implications for Wisconsin and National Democracy

The outcome of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race holds significant implications. A shift towards a conservative majority could embolden attempts to roll back progressive rulings and limit individual rights. Additionally, the election serves as a barometer for the influence of wealthy backers and partisan agendas on judicial independence.

Notable Quote:

"This is a really, really critical race with ramifications that far exceed Wisconsin really has. It's a case with some national implications."
— Brad Schimmel [12:16]

Judge Crawford warns that Musk and MAGA supporters aim to create a judiciary akin to the current U.S. Supreme Court, potentially undermining democratic norms and protections.

Notable Quote:

"Elon Musk just dropped another million dollars to buy off this guy, Brad Schimmel... they want the Wisconsin Supreme Court to look just like the U.S. Supreme Court."
— Judge Susan Crawford [02:45]

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Conclusion

The MeidasTouch Podcast sheds light on the high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race, highlighting the battle between progressive and conservative forces influenced by prominent figures like Elon Musk. Judge Susan Crawford presents a compelling case for protecting judicial independence and democracy, while Brad Schimmel represents the entrenched partisan and special interests seeking to reshape the court's future. This election serves as a critical juncture for Wisconsin and the broader American judiciary, emphasizing the need for informed and engaged voters to safeguard democratic principles.

Notable Closing Quote:

"The election's right around the corner. April 1st... we will leave that for another conversation."
— Judge Susan Crawford [12:46]

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Further Engagement

Listeners are encouraged to engage with the candidates through their campaign websites and social media platforms. Judge Crawford directs voters to crawford4wi.com and emphasizes the importance of participating in this landmark election.

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Stay tuned to The MeidasTouch Podcast for more insightful discussions on critical political developments and their impact on democracy.

Transcript

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[Judge Susan Crawford]

Good luck.

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Come out with a golden ticket.

[Judge Susan Crawford]

Let's hear it.

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This is immense world.

[Brad Schimmel]

I've never seen anything like it.

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And a new chapter begins.

[Judge Susan Crawford]

We're going to Hollywood.

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[Judge Susan Crawford]

Let's talk about the most important election taking place in the country right now that if you don't live in Wiscons, you may not know about. It's the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat where currently Liberals maintain a 4 to 3 majority on the court. I like to refer to that more as pro democracy. But you have Elon Musk now spending a huge amount of money, I mean, millions in that state. It tells you how important MAGA and Musk and Trump think this state is. And they're running the playbook that we saw during the 2024 election, which unfortunately they had some success with with these deceptive ads. But I think it's important that we now call out what they're doing. So the strategy by Musk and the Magaz is they create these political action committees with kind of deceptive names that make it seem like they're supportive of a Democratic candidate or a liberal candidate or a specific candidate. And then they push certain messaging that they poll test to make voters not want to vote for that candidate, believing that it's actually that candidate sending that message. If you see, if you watch my reporting during the 2024 election, you would see that like in Pennsylvania, Musk would create these PACs and they would push these things that they know would try to push voters away. So Elon Musk just dropped another million dollars to buy off this guy, Brad Schimmel. He's the right wing MAGA candidate who wants that Wisconsin seat because that would turn the Wisconsin Supreme Court into pretty much a far right court. So if you're upset at the way our United States Supreme Court looks like, they want the Wisconsin Supreme Court to look just like that. Now, if you're asking how MAGA is this guy Brad Schimmel? Well, Brad Schimmel says that the Wisconsin Supreme Court screwed Donald Trump over by not overturning the results of the 2020 election. As judge Susan Crawford, who's circuit court judge from Dane county, who's running for that seat, says Schimmel is all about partisanship, politics and special interests not being fair and impartial in the court. And here's the Washington Post article. It says in a meeting with supporters last month, Schimmel said the court had treated Trump unfairly. Quote, I think the odds of an endorsement are probably pretty high because you Know, one of the things he doesn't do is forget people that screw him over and the Wisconsin Supreme Court screw him over. So as Donald Trump is crushing our economy, as Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to federal workers, you got Schimmel really wanting this Trump endorsement. So why don't we bring in Judge Susan Crawford, Circuit Court judge who's running for the seat. Judge Crawford. Musk is spending millions against you. Why do you think that is?

[Brad Schimmel]

Well, it's not because he cares about Wisconsin, I'll put it that way. He doesn't. You know, I don't think he's ever been here. I don't think he really knows who he's running these ads against. You know, the first ad that they put out against me had a picture of a different Susan Crawford in it that they, I guess, had found on Google. So I think he's doing it for a couple of different reasons. One is, and he's been pretty open about it, he's got paid canvassers going door to door in Wisconsin with flyers that say, protect the Trump agenda. So nakedly partisan reason. And then also, I think Elon Musk is watching out for his own backside. Tesla just filed a lawsuit in Wisconsin to try to throw out a decision by, you know, Wisconsin licensors saying that they could not open dealerships to sell vehicles directly to consumers. In Wisconsin, there's just a state law that doesn't allow that. So he's got a personal stake in Wisconsin courts, and I think he thinks he can buy himself a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

[Judge Susan Crawford]

So let's do this. Paint a picture, if you can, for us, of what it would look like if Brad Schimmel gets that seat. Paint that picture first. Then I'm going to ask you, of course, to paint the picture of what it looks like if you get on. But first, broadly, Brad Schimmel wins this. What should the people of Wisconsin be prepared for?

[Brad Schimmel]

Yeah, well, Brad Schimmel, depending on what group he's talking to, because he says different things to different groups. But he just said the other day when he was speaking to one of these turning point groups, far right conservative groups, that he wants to provide a be part of a support network for Donald Trump. So if he ends up on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, he's gonna bring a far right agenda, he'll lock in a very conservative majority on the Supreme Court. And honestly, I think he's the most extreme candidate to ever run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. So any cases involving the rights of Wisconsinites, things like Reproductive healthcare, access to health insurance coverage, protection of the environment, protection of public safety. I think those go by the wayside because Brad Schimmel has always been about protecting the big money special interests. That was what he was like as a Republican Attorney general, you know, rubber stamping Governor Scott Walker's agenda and going out actually around the country trying to eliminate abortion rights for people, not even right here in Wisconsin, but people all over the country. So I think it would be, you know, he would help to really push a right wing agenda in Wisconsin.

[Judge Susan Crawford]

You know, I also think that what Doge is doing is terribly unpopular now across the country. We're seeing in town halls, Republican town halls in ruby red areas, by the way, ruby red areas in Wisconsin as well, where some of these Republican politicians are canceling the town halls. People are pissed that Doge and Elon Musk's crew of 19 to 25 year old guys with these horribly misogynistic and ridiculous nickname, whatever, they're, they're going into people's private data, their medical info, their Social Security info, getting access to tax info and transaction data. And so, I mean, look, one could assume if Elon Musk was Donald Trump's backer and Trump and Trump's doing the Musk agenda, Musk's doing this with Schimmel. So all of the things that I think people in Wisconsin hate about Doge and what Doge is doing to their lives, invasion of their privacy will get 100 times worse. It'll be a rubber stamp on Doge. What do you think about that?

[Brad Schimmel]

Oh, I think there's no question, Ben. I think that is exactly why Elon Musk is spending millions of dollars on these phony attack ads against me and trying to get Brad Schimmel on the Supreme Court. He's got a partisan agenda. Brad Schimmel is only too willing to help him out with that. I think they see completely eye to eye. And as I've been out traveling around the state talking to voters, I think voters are, like you said, they are scared. They're really concerned. They don't want these unelected people like Elon Musk and his gang of 20 year olds digging through their personal data. And people talk to me about that all the time. So we need to have a Wisconsin Supreme Court that's working for the people of Wisconsin, not one that is working for Elon Musk and not one that's there as a support network for President Trump.

[Judge Susan Crawford]

Look, you're a former prosecutor, you're a circuit court judge, law and order person, I'm sure having to go through sometimes some of the campaigning stuff and talking about yourself is, you know, not, not that your day to day stuff that you do, but, you know, that's what you got to do in, you know, that's, that's part of it all. So if you can, though, you know, paint a picture for our audience, for our listeners and viewers about what it looks like if you are able to prevail. What are you telling voters as you tour the state?

[Brad Schimmel]

Yeah, well, you know, I'm running to be a fair and impartial justice and to decide cases first of all, based on the facts. I think the truth is really important in our justice system. Apparently it's not so important in our politics all the time, but it's really important in the justice system and to interpret the law based on what the law says and to apply it fairly and impartially. I believe we have laws and we have a constitution to protect the rights of the people of our state. And I never lose sight of the fact that the decisions I'm making as a judge involve real people and real problems. So I apply common sense and make sure that I am applying and upholding the law to protect the rights of the people in my courtroom. And that's what kind of justice I'll be on the Supreme Court.

[Judge Susan Crawford]

People want to learn more about you. Where can they go to find out more information?

[Brad Schimmel]

Yeah, they can go to our campaign website. That's crawford4wi.com they can also follow us on social media, all the usual places and those counts are also called Crawford for Wisconsin. So hope people will check it out. As you said, Ben, this is a really, really critical race with ramifications that far exceed Wisconsin really has. It's, this is a case with some national implications and I hope people will tune in and get involved.

[Judge Susan Crawford]

The election's right around the corner. April 1st, right. It's right, right around the corner. So everybody, 25 days and it'll fly like, it'll fly like that. Although I'm not sure if I'm aging in dog years or something else under this Trump administration. But we will, we will leave that for another conversation. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Judge Crawford, thanks for joining us.

[Brad Schimmel]

Thanks so much, Ben.

[Judge Susan Crawford]

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