Hijacking Campaign 2026 | Campaign 2026
Posted: April 1, 2026
Updated: April 13, 2026
Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Defend Our Courts was first organized to campaign on behalf of three Democratic justices up for reelection to that state’s supreme court in 2025, spending over $5 million that year. All three justices retained their seats. The group’s professed mission is to prevent a right-wing takeover of state courts and Wisconsin is just one of four states targeted by the organization in 2026, the others being Michigan, Kansas and Georgia. The group is operating as an unregistered express advocacy committee in Wisconsin. Defend Our Courts has a federally registered committee, but it has not reported any activity since it first registered in October 2025.
Defend Our Courts first reported spending in the 2026 Wisconsin State Supreme Court election just a week before the April 7th election with more than $42,700 going towards phone banks to support Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Chris Taylor. Taylor faced Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Maria Lazar for an open seat on the officially nonpartisan court. A former Democratic state legislator, Taylor enjoyed support from the state Democratic party as well as independent backing from a host of liberal groups. Conversely, her opponent, who first gained her current position with substantial conservative independent support, was backed by Republicans and other conservative organizations. Taylor won the election expanding liberal control of the seven-member court from four to five seats.
The day of the election, the group reported spending over $21,100 for phones/texting. Three days after the election, it reported over another $20,300 for the same.
This organization is an unregistered independent expenditure committee that is required to report any such spending done within 60 days of a primary or an election to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission per Chapter 11, Subchapter X of Wisconsin Statutes.