SJR78: Joint Resolution Text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE

LRB-3840/1

JKS:klm

2025 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 78

July 16, 2025 - Introduced by Senators Hesselbein, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, Drake, Habush Sinykin, Larson, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Roys, Smith, Spreitzer, Wall and Wirch, cosponsored by Representatives Neubauer, Andraca, Arney, Bare, Brown, Clancy, Cruz, DeSmidt, Doyle, Emerson, Fitzgerald, Goodwin, Hong, Hysell, Joers, Johnson, Kirsch, Madison, Mayadev, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Ortiz-Velez, Palmeri, Phelps, Prado, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Spaude, Stroud, Stubbs, Subeck, Tenorio, Udell and Vining. Referred to Committee on Senate Organization.

SJR78,1,2 Relating to: honoring the dedication and service of Chief Justice Ann Walsh Bradley.

SJR78,1,4 Whereas, Chief Justice Ann Walsh Bradley has deep roots in Wisconsin, coming from a family that has lived in the state since the 1850s; and

SJR78,1,7 Whereas, Chief Justice Bradley was born and raised in Richland Center, growing up in the house that her grandparents owned and where her father was born; and

SJR78,1,10 Whereas, after earning her bachelor’s degree at Webster University, Chief Justice Bradley began her long career in public service as a high school teacher in La Crosse; and

SJR78,1,12 Whereas, Chief Justice Bradley then earned her J.D. at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she was recognized as a Knapp Scholar; and

SJR78,2,2 Whereas, in 1985, Chief Justice Bradley was appointed by Governor Tony Earl to serve as a circuit court judge in Marathon County, the first woman to serve in that position in county history; and

SJR78,2,5 Whereas, upon being sworn in, Chief Justice Bradley pledged “my energy, my intellect, my good humor, and my sincerity” in service of the people of Wisconsin; and

SJR78,2,8 Whereas, Chief Justice Bradley subsequently won election to the same court in 1986, earning respect as a jurist, remaining deeply involved in the community, and, alongside her husband, Mark, raising a young family; and

SJR78,2,11 Whereas, Chief Justice Bradley became the first woman in state history to reach the Wisconsin Supreme Court by way of election, securing her first 10-year term in 1995; and

SJR78,2,13 Whereas, Chief Justice Bradley was reelected to the court in 2005 and 2015; and

SJR78,2,15 Whereas, over the course of her tenure, Chief Justice Bradley heard thousands of cases, earning the confidence of her colleagues and the broader public; and

SJR78,2,21 Whereas, Chief Justice Bradley has devoted her time and talents to organizations advancing gender and human rights and inclusive justice around the globe, including serving as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Judicial Academy, as a founding member of the Global Network on Electoral Justice, and as the chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Association of Women Judges; and

SJR78,2,23 Whereas, in 2025, Chief Justice Ann Walsh Bradley was chosen by her colleagues to serve as Chief Justice; now, therefore, be it

SJR78,3,2 Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin Legislature join in honoring Chief Justice Ann Walsh Bradley upon her retirement from the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

SJR78,3,3 (end)