Sen. Lena Taylor will run for Milwaukee Municipal Court judge

Wisconsin State Sen. Lena Taylor announced Friday she is running to be a Milwaukee Municipal Court judge.

Taylor's bid for judge will be her latest attempt to win a seat outside the Legislature. She competed unsuccessfully in the two most recent races for Milwaukee mayor and the lieutenant governor's race.

Taylor, a Democratic lawmaker, is an attorney and former state public defender. She was first elected to the Legislature as a member of the Assembly in April 2003. She went on to be elected to the Senate in 2004, a position she has held ever since. While a senator, she has chaired the Judiciary and Corrections Committee and served on the powerful Joint Finance Committee.

Taylor said the opportunity to run for judge wasn't one she was expecting, and she likely would not have run if Judge Derek Mosley hadn't decided to step down.

Mosley, who served as a judge for 20 years, begins a new job in January as the head of Marquette University Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education.

"My time in the Legislature has been very connected to the justice system, as chair of the judiciary committee and the joint criminal penalty reviews committee," Taylor said. "Although I haven't practiced law in the same intensity as when I started out, I've been very engaged in reforms that have happened in the municipal court system.

"The possibility of going to the bench is definitely something that I've always thought about, and this seemed like the perfect timing."

Milwaukee attorney Molly Gena has also announced her candidacy for the seat. She is currently an attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin, a nonprofit that provides free legal services.

The primary election will take place Feb. 21, followed by the general election April 4.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sen. Lena Taylor to run for Milwaukee judge