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Our Approach

Methodology &
Process.

Transparent, replicable, and grounded in constitutional fidelity — not partisan loyalty.

Why It Matters

Seven people most Wisconsinites cannot name.

Your property rights, your children's schools, the integrity of your elections, and the limits on government power all depend on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. These justices decide cases that reshape the legal landscape more consequentially than most legislation — yet unlike legislators, they face almost no structured public accountability between elections.

The IRG Court Watch Judicial Scorecard changes that. For the first time, every justice is evaluated — not on partisan loyalty, but on fidelity to the constitutional principles that safeguard individual liberty and the rule of law.
Scoring Framework

Process, not outcomes.

50%

5-Metric Methodology

Weighted across every opinion authored or joined.

+
50%

Critical Cases Alignment

Performance in the term's ten highest-stakes decisions.

Methodology

Five pillars of judicial excellence.

25%

Adherence to Precedent

Respect for stare decisis and consistent application of established legal principles across cases.

25%

Separation of Powers

Fidelity to the constitutional roles of legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

20%

Textualism & Originalism

Interpretation grounded in the actual text and original meaning of statutes and constitutional provisions.

15%

Judicial Restraint

Resisting the temptation to substitute the court's policy preferences for those of the elected branches.

15%

Individual Liberty

Protection of constitutional rights and recognition of the people as sovereign over the government.

How It Works

From opinion to scorecard.

1

Read & Classify

Every published opinion from the term is read in full and classified by category and authorship.

2

Score by Rubric

Each opinion is scored across the five metrics using a transparent, replicable rubric.

3

Weight & Aggregate

Scores are weighted by metric and combined with critical-case alignment for a composite score.

4

Publish & Verify

Methodology and underlying data are published openly so any score can be independently verified.