1990 Wisconsin Supreme Court election

1990 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
April 3, 1990
	Steinmetz: 50–60% 60–70%; Brown: 50–60% 60–70%
Justice before election; Donald W. Steinmetz;	Elected Justice ; Donald W. Steinmetz;

Judicial election in the U.S. state of Wisconsin

The 1990 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on April 3, 1990, to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. Incumbent justice Donald W. Steinmetz was re-elected over Richard S. Brown (a judge on the state Appeals Court).

Candidates

Donald W. Steinmetz, incumbent justice
Richard S. Brown, judge on the state Appeals Court

Campaign

The incumbent justice, Steinmetz, was a conservative member of the court.^[1] His opponent, Brown, received considerable support as a challenger, and was given an editorial board endorsement by the Milwaukee Journal. Following a contentious campaign, Steinmetz defended his seat to win re-election.^[2]^[3]

Result

1980 Wisconsin Supreme Court election^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
General election (April 3, 1990)
	Nonpartisan	Donald W. Steinmetz (incumbent)	355,681	51.87
	Nonpartisan	Richard S. Brown	330,067	48.13
Majority			25,514	3.74
Total votes			685,748	100.0

References

^ "Brown files for high court race". The Milwaukee Sentinel. October 14, 1989. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
^ "Best choices on Tuesday's ballot". The Milwaukee Journal. April 2, 1990. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
^ Lamke, Kenneth R. (April 6, 1990). "Incumbency, endorsements, and negative ads all work". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
^ "State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1991/1992 - Full view - UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries". search.library.wisc.edu (University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries). State of Wisconsin. 1991. p. 880. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

[Filing-1] "Brown files for high court race". The Milwaukee Sentinel. October 14, 1989. Retrieved July 31, 2015.

[2] "Best choices on Tuesday's ballot". The Milwaukee Journal. April 2, 1990. Retrieved July 31, 2015.

[3] Lamke, Kenneth R. (April 6, 1990). "Incumbency, endorsements, and negative ads all work". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved July 31, 2015.

[4] "State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1991/1992 - Full view - UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries". search.library.wisc.edu (University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries). State of Wisconsin. 1991. p. 880. Retrieved April 8, 2025.