On Apr. 1, Wisconsin voters will elect a new state Supreme Court justice. Normally, such news would be met with a yawn, but not this year — the campaign has already made national news and drawn the attention of people from around the country

The Wisconsin election could be one of American history's most important judicial elections, and one of the most expensive. And, as has been the trend in recent decades in America, this one has turned nasty, full of what one spokesman termed “disgusting insults.”

Despite its less than judicious tone, the contest between conservative candidate Judge Brad Schimel and liberal Judge Susan Crawford offers voters a chance to signal their commitment to free and fair elections and the rule of law. The contest also will give an early indication of how voters in a crucial swing state, carried by a razor-thin margin last November, feel about what the president and the leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency are doing in Washington, D.C.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk know how important the contest is — which is why they

© The Hill