Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser announced Wednesday that he’s retiring on July 31 after nearly 18 years on the high court — including some of its most turbulent — and four decades in public life.
The retirement hands GOP Gov. Scott Walker a second opportunity to appoint a new justice and put his imprint on the state’s high court with a jurist who could then stand for election in 2020. Prosser was a member of the court’s conservative, 5-2 majority and Walker’s appointment wouldn’t necessarily change that dynamic.
Prosser, 73, leaves behind a court where controversy has become as common for justices as it is for other elected officials. His clashes with liberal justices extended to charged language and, in 2011, a physical altercation.