Who Is Rebecca Dallet? Liberal Judge Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Elections

Liberal candidate and a Milwaukee County judge, Rebecca Dallet who received the backing of former Vice President Joe Biden and support of former attorney general Eric Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee, was proclaimed the winner in Wisconsin State Supreme Court race Tuesday night.

Dallet led Sauk County judge Micheal Screnock by more than 10 points with more than 70 percent precincts reporting. She was running for a seat currently held by Michael Gableman. With Dallet’s win, six of the seven members of the court are now women. She is all set to serve a ten-year term, reports said.

Dallet, who has served as a judge for the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in Wisconsin, was first elected to the position in the year 2008. She was re-elected in 2014 for a term that will expire in 2020.

According to her bio in Ballotpedia.org, Dallet is a resident of Whitefish Bay, a village in Milwaukee County. She had completed her B.A. in economics from the Ohio State University in 1991and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1994.

Before becoming a judge at the County Circuit Court, Dallet served as an assistant district attorney with the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and as an adjunct professor of law at Marquette University Law School.

Speaking about her win, Dallet told the Washington Post, “The candidate with the most experience in our courts and standing up for the fairness of our courts won. I think people are tired of what’s been going on in our state in terms of the money coming in to buy these elections and people spoke out tonight.”

Dallet’s win in the elections also shows that things are turning out to be in favor of the Democrats nationwide, especially in Wisconsin. Her victory Tuesday narrowed the conservative control of the court from 5-2 to 4-3.

Reports state that it is the first time since 1995 that a liberal candidate won a race for an open seat on the court. Following the results, Republican Governor Scott Walker also issued a statement, warning his fellow Republicans.

“Tonight’s results show we are at risk of a #BlueWave in WI. Big government special interests flooded Wisconsin with distorted facts & misinformation. Next, they’ll target me and work to undo our bold reforms,” Walker, who is up for re-election in November, said.

Screnock was endorsed by Walker and backed by about $400,000 from the state GOP.

In addition to this, Martha Laning, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairwoman, issued a warning to Walker and called it a “huge loss” for him as his “endorsement, philosophy and politics were on the ballot.”

Doug Clawson, 58, a communications professional who cast his ballot at a Madison public library, said, “People are pretty motivated on the left, from what I can see.”

He hoped that Dallet’s win “would send a message that we’re not kidding around here and maybe to borrow an axiom from the right: We’re going to take our country back.”