him as a judicial liberal, while others classify him as a "centrist" who retains strong conservative leanings. Crooks generally joined the conservative majority's opinions, especially in criminal matters, but joined the liberal minority's dissents on certain constitutional issues and matters of court administration. In April 2015, Crooks broke from both Abrahamson and the conservative majority in a dispute over the election of Patience Drake Roggensack as the court's chief justice. Earlier in 2015, voters had approved a referendum permitting the court's justices to elect their chief justice; throughout Wisconsin's history, the most senior justice had occupied the court's highest office. Crooks condemned Abrahamson's attempts to retain her position, which included a federal lawsuit, but did not support Roggensack's election; instead, he indicated that he would consider seeking the chief justiceship and running for reelection in 2016, an event theretofore considered unlikely. In the wake of this dispute, and with Crooks's intentions uncertain, state judges Joe Donald, JoAnne Kloppenburg, and Rebecca Bradley filed to run for Crooks's seat in 2016. Death On Thursday, September 16, 2015, Crooks announced that he would not seek reelection. Crooks was absent from oral arguments the next day. He came to the court on Monday, September 21, 2015, for a hearing, but excused himself before the hearing was over. He was later found dead in his chambers at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison. He was 77. Professional memberships and awards While serving in 1994 as a Brown County circuit judge, Crooks was recognized as Trial Judge of the Year by the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Crooks was a law school evaluator for the American Bar Association and also a member of the Wisconsin Law Foundation Board. He was a director of the Notre Dame Law Association and a member of the James E. Doyle Chapter of the American Inns of Court. Electoral history Wisconsin Circuit Court (1985, 1991) | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 2, 1985 | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 2, 1991 Wisconsin Supreme Court (1995, 1996, 2006) | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Primary Election, February 21, 1995 | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 4, 1995 | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, February 6, 1996 | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, March 19, 1996 | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 4, 2006 References 1938 births 2015 deaths Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin Military personnel from