Wisconsin holds state Supreme Court primary as conservatives have controlled court since 2008

Wisconsin voters on Tuesday are casting their ballots in the state's high-stakes Supreme Court primary as Democrats are looking to flip the high court, which has been controlled by conservatives since 2008.

The officially nonpartisan primary in the presidential battleground states features two liberals and two conservatives. The top two candidates will advance to a general election in April. 

Many of the state Supreme Court's rulings have gone in favor of Republicans, but with the retirement of a conservative justice, liberal voters may be able to tip the court in their favor, The Associated Press reported.

The primary has implications for abortion rights and future election results. Abortion is illegal in most cases in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health last year. Additionally, the court was within one vote of overturning President Joe Biden's 2020 victory in Wisconsin.

The conservative candidates in Tuesday's primary are Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, while the liberal candidates are Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell and Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz.