Wisconsin's highest judicial body was left saddened this past weekend when former state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser passed away. 

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Prosser died on Sunday at the age of 81 following an 18-month-long struggle with cancer.

State Supreme Court chief justice: Prosser "committed his life to serving others"

The newspaper noted that Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler marked Prosser's passing with a statement put out on Monday morning.

"On behalf of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, I express our profound gratitude to Justice Prosser for his decades of service and his unwavering dedication to justice, fairness, and the betterment of Wisconsin," Ziegler wrote.

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser dead at 81 https://t.co/lVhVenfgJt

— Journal Sentinel (@journalsentinel) December 2, 2024

"Many knew him as a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, a position which he held for 18 years. But to me, David was more than that: he was my friend. I will miss him greatly," the chief justice went on to add.

Prosser practiced law before going into politics

The Journal Sentinel explained that Prosser spent nearly two decades serving on the state Supreme Court after being appointed by Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson in 1998.

Thompson hailed Prosser as being "man of deep conviction and intense loyalty to our way of life" who understood that "without citizen service, there was no real democracy."

Prosser's career began when he worked as a staffer for Wisconsin Republican Rep. Harold Froehlich, after which he became an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and later served as district attorney in Outagamie County.

Prosser entered the state legislature in 1979, where he remained until 1997. During his time there he served for two years as speaker and another five years as minority leader.

Republican assembly speaker calls Prosser "an inspiration to us all"

Prior to being nominated to the state Supreme Court by Thompson, Prosser was sitting as a member of the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission.

The Associated Press recalled how Prosser made headlines in 2011 when he got into a physical confrontation with another state Supreme Court justice over a labor law which was being championed by then-Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

Meanwhile, WISN 12 pointed out that Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos released a statement praising his predecessor's legacy.

The Wisconsin lawmaker declared that Prosser "was an exemplary leader and an inspiration to us all" who had "committed his life to serving others and finding solutions to improve our state."