1855 Wisconsin Supreme Court election

1855 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
← 1852 1861 →
Justice before election; Samuel Crawford;	Elected Justice ; Orsamus Cole;

The 1855 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 3, 1855, to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a full term. Orsamus Cole unseated incumbent justice Samuel Crawford.

Crawford likely lost due to his opinion in Booth v. Ableman (later appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in Ableman v. Booth) that the Fugitive Slave Laws were unconstitutional.^[1] He was the first Wisconsin Supreme Court justice to lose re-election. As of 2025^[update], this has only occurred in seven subsequent instances (1908, 1917, 1947, 1958, 1967, 2008, 2020). ^[2]

^ "Samuel Crawford (1820-1860) - Former Justices". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^
Multiple sources:
- Ostermeier, Eric (April 11, 2011). "The Incumbency Advantage in Wisconsin Supreme Court Elections". Smart Politics. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- Johnson, Shawn (April 14, 2020). "Jill Karofsky Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race, Defeating Conservative Incumbent". WPR. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

[wicourtscrawford-1] "Samuel Crawford (1820-1860) - Former Justices". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[2] Multiple sources:
Ostermeier, Eric (April 11, 2011). "The Incumbency Advantage in Wisconsin Supreme Court Elections". Smart Politics. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

Johnson, Shawn (April 14, 2020). "Jill Karofsky Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race, Defeating Conservative Incumbent". WPR. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

[3] Ostermeier, Eric (April 11, 2011). "The Incumbency Advantage in Wisconsin Supreme Court Elections". Smart Politics. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

[4] Johnson, Shawn (April 14, 2020). "Jill Karofsky Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race, Defeating Conservative Incumbent". WPR. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

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