You can click the YouTube video above of this interview, or scroll down for the transcript of the Wisconsin Faith and Freedom Coalition interview with Supreme Court candidate Maria Lazar. Click here for the same basic questions of candidate Chris Taylor and background on how groups like the Wisconsin Faith and Freedom Coalition share information on all candidates in an election—and vote April 7.

Daniel Degner, President – Wisconsin Family Council
Hi, thank you for joining us today. My name is Daniel Degner. I’m the president of Wisconsin Family Council, and I’m so glad to bring you this event in partnership with the Wisconsin Faith and Freedom Coalition. Today, we’ll have Pastor Paul Hoover lead us through questions with one of the candidates running for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

We’re not just concerned about politics or partisanship, but about what matters most in our faith, and so we’re excited. Pastor Paul Hoover will lead us in a discussion, and we have Maria Lazar joining us, who is running for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. We also extended an invitation to Judge Chris Taylor to join us, but unfortunately she did not respond for this event.

One of the things that’s so important for us as Christians to understand is that faith and politics aren’t just something partisan, but an important part of our discipleship. We encourage you to honor God with your vote by learning what the candidates believe, as well as how their faith impacts their decisions, to help you with your own faith and the decisions that you make.

We encourage you to watch this video and learn more about voting, and you can also go to myvote.wi.gov to learn about what’s on your ballot this April 7. We encourage you to honor God with your vote. I’m going to turn it over to Pastor Paul Hoover, and he’ll lead us in discussion for this event.

Pastor Paul Hoover, Chairman Wisconsin Faith and Freedom Coalition
Welcome, and thank you for joining us today on the Wisconsin Faith and Freedom Coalition YouTube channel.

Our goal today in this conversation is not to focus on politics, but on faith—specifically how the Gospel of Jesus Christ shapes those who serve in public life. Today, we’re honored to be joined by Judge Maria Lazar, who is a candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The election will be held on April 7, and we’re looking forward to hearing about her faith journey and how it influences her life and service.

We extended the same invitation to Judge Chris Taylor to participate in this format, but we have not heard back from her campaign.

Judge Lazar, thank you for being with us today.

Maria Lazar, Candidate for Supreme Court
My pleasure.

Paul Hoover
Judge, before we talk about public service, we’d like to begin with what matters most. Could you share with our viewers what your faith journey has looked like?

Maria Lazar
I can tell you that as a child, I was raised in the Catholic Church, and I have raised my children as well. I think that to me, faith is not so much a journey, but my life. It’s something that I try to put into everything I do. It’s more who I am than a journey.

Paul Hoover
James chapter 1, verse 5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” I see that you have a cross necklace there, and I know that’s very special to you for many reasons, one being that the cross represents our faith and that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

The responsibilities of a judge often involve weighty decisions. How important is prayer and seeking God’s wisdom when facing those kinds of responsibilities?

Maria Lazar
First, I’ll explain the cross I’m wearing. It’s something my mom gave me when I had my First Communion, and it’s something I’ve cherished my entire life. I wear it under my clothes when I’m worried or concerned; otherwise, I keep it at home because it’s very special. I almost lost it once as a child.

As a judge, prayer helps keep me in the proper perspective and frame of mind. The various rotations I’ve been in include criminal, juvenile, and mental commitment cases. In all of them—but especially those—you are putting someone’s life, freedom, and liberty in your hands.

I would always take time the night before or that morning to really devote myself to making sure I made the right decision, because you can’t see into someone’s mind. You can only do the best you can.

Paul Hoover
That’s great—to use prayer and rely on God, because He is the source of all wisdom. Like you said, we don’t know what’s in someone’s mind or heart, or even what actually happened. Sometimes you have to make decisions based on the facts, and those can be very difficult. I’m sure you’ve had a lot of experience with that.

Maria Lazar
Yes. They’re difficult decisions. In juvenile court, I had to decide whether to terminate parental rights.

One of the hardest cases for me was a very young individual who had committed horrible crimes, and you had to determine what to do. Even with repeat offenders, I always tried, when sentencing someone, to speak to them before announcing the sentence—because once you tell them the sentence, they’re no longer listening.

Before that moment, I would talk about not only what they had done wrong, but also what they had done right and how they could improve themselves. I don’t know if it always made a difference, but I did receive a letter from someone I had sentenced who said that I was the first judge who treated him like a human being. I take that as a badge of honor.

Paul Hoover
I’m sure that was encouraging.

Maria Lazar
Yes, I kept the letter.

Paul Hoover
Have your personal convictions and beliefs shaped your commitment to integrity in your professional life?

Maria Lazar
Yes. People have asked me what skeletons I have in my closet, and the truth is there really aren’t any. I’ve made mistakes like everyone has, but I follow my parents’ rule: act as if someone is always watching, even when they’re not.

It’s important that what you do in private matches what you do in public. I try to stay honest so I never have to lie or worry about my answers. You can simply say, “No, I don’t do that,” because you truly don’t.

Paul Hoover
I’ve heard it said that if you take care of your character, your reputation will take care of itself.

Maria Lazar
Good answer.

Paul Hoover
Public life often brings pressure and criticism. How has your faith helped you remain grounded during difficult seasons?

Maria Lazar
There have been difficult times where I had to make extraordinarily hard decisions. In one case, I had to sentence a young individual to more years in prison than he had been alive.

In this campaign, I knew there would be attacks. One day, after a long day of campaigning, I got home exhausted and heard comments on the radio that were very critical. That was my lowest point.

I called a friend, and he prayed for me and recommended a devotional. I ordered it, received it the next day, and it helped ground me. The attacks started to feel unimportant.

Paul Hoover
Without getting into campaign matters, could you explain your general approach to interpreting the law?

Maria Lazar
My approach is originalism. When interpreting the law, you look at what is written. Do you follow it as written, or do you try to make it say something it doesn’t?

My view is that you follow what is written. If interpretation is needed, you can use tools like dictionaries, but you shouldn’t impose your own meaning. You stay faithful to the Constitution and the written word.

Paul Hoover
That aligns with the oath to uphold the Constitution.

Maria Lazar
Yes, and our oath includes the phrase “without respect to persons,” meaning we must not favor one party over another. Justice must be impartial.

Daniel Degner (Closing)
Thank you so much, Pastor Paul, and thank you to Judge Maria Lazar for joining us today. As we think and pray about this important election on Tuesday, April 7, across Wisconsin, we encourage you to go to myvote.wi.gov to learn what’s on your ballot.

There will be many elections across the state, including local races. We also encourage you to visit the Wisconsin Faith and Freedom Coalition website at www.wisconsinffc.com for resources.

At Wisconsin Family Council, we offer pastoral resources, including the “Honoring God with Your Vote” toolkit. We are happy to serve you and your church to ensure that voting is approached as an act of discipleship.

We don’t encourage political engagement for partisan reasons, but because we believe God has given us the opportunity to participate in our system of government.

Please remember to vote on Tuesday, April 7. God bless!