GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice is looking to stay on the court for another decade.
Justice Daniel Kelly has only served on the State Supreme Court for two years, but apparently has enjoyed the experience enough to seek out a full term of his own.
Kelly joined the John Muir Show on Tuesday to say he’s seeking a full ten-year term next year.
He says it’s been a privilege to serve the people of Wisconsin for the past two years.
“I’m announcing today that I am seeking their permission to serve them for another ten years on their Supreme Court,” says Kelly.
Justice Kelly was appointed to the state Supreme Court by former Governor Scott Walker in August 2016.
That appointment came following the retirement of Justice David Prosser Jr.
In just over a couple of years, he’s already reviewed over 3,000 cases and authored numerous published opinions.
Kelly says he comes to work every day, not for himself, but rather, to represent the people of Wisconsin to his full capability.
“My judicial philosophy grows directly out of the fact that all of the authority to create and maintain governments rests with the people of Wisconsin,” he explains. “[It] doesn’t belong to me.”
Additionally, he thinks that Wisconsinites are looking for someone with a conservative mindset on the court.
He points to Judge Brian Hagedorn’s victory this past April as proof to back up that claim.
“If they want people who are going to be faithful to the Constitution and then faithful to them, they have the ability to do that,” says Kelly. “And they showed that just a couple of months ago.”
When Hagedorn joins the court in August, he and Kelly will be a part of a 5-2 conservative majority.
Kelly says he wasn’t expecting to have this much momentum early in the year, but the amount of support he has already received has pushed him into making this announcement just one day after Memorial Day.
“So I was kind of expecting that, perhaps, the good people of Wisconsin would take the summer off and circle back to this around Labor Day,” he explains. “[But,] they started calling me right away.”
For him, it’s been a humbling experience to have so many state residents already voice their support going forward.
“We are the servants to the people of Wisconsin,” explains Kelly. “They are our bosses.”
Kelly is a graduate of Carrol College (University) and Regent University Law School.
He and his wife Elisa have five children and they live in North Prairie.
The full interview from the John Muir Show can be heard here.
