Political parties, megadonors drop money on Wisconsin Supreme Court race
1 month, 1 week ago

Political parties, megadonors drop money on Wisconsin Supreme Court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Billionaire megadonors are opening their wallets to influence the high-stakes race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which was also for ideological control of the court, was the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history. “On Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, Susan Crawford has an agenda and Soros is buying into it.” On the Republican side, billionaire Wisconsin businesswoman Diane Hendricks gave the state GOP $970,000 in January. Haley McCoy, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, accused Schimel of “begging at the feet of radical right-wing billionaires.” Schimel has raised $5.1 million since he entered the race in December 2023, including the nearly $1.7 million from the Republican Party. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has been at the center of some of the battleground state’s largest battles in recent years, including the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and legislative redistricting.

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State Supreme Court races can be costly, competitive and combative. Why?
2 weeks, 1 day ago

State Supreme Court races can be costly, competitive and combative. Why?

NPR  

State Supreme Court races can be costly, competitive and combative. Sponsor Message All of that culminated in Wisconsin's 2023 Supreme Court race, an expensive, bitterly fought contest that raised new questions about the role of political spending in big court elections. "With that attention comes campaigns that look increasingly like a key U.S. Senate race, and less like the quiet …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates spar over Musk and Soros donations in high-stakes race
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates spar over Musk and Soros donations in high-stakes race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court race who has received the support of Elon Musk said Wednesday that it’s more concerning that his Democratic-supported opponent is benefiting from donations by liberal philanthropist George Soros. “I don’t think they equate at all.” The race for ideological control of the battleground state’s highest court is nonpartisan in name …

Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court decries Musk’s involvement in race
Trending News
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court decries Musk’s involvement in race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Democratic-backed candidate in a race that will determine whether liberals maintain their majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court decried Elon Musk’s involvement, saying Tuesday that the world’s wealthiest man was “trying to buy a seat on our Supreme Court.” A political action committee created by Musk, a close adviser to President Donald Trump, has spent $1 …

Elon Musk and other right-wing donors are "pouring money" into Wisconsin's Supreme Court race
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Elon Musk and other right-wing donors are "pouring money" into Wisconsin's Supreme Court race

Salon  

Not satisfied with his unprecedented grip on the federal government, billionaire Elon Musk is looking to tip the scales in state races, too. Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, told Salon the last state Supreme Court race in 2023 “was the highest spending judicial election in the history of the United States.” April's race could top that. Heck …

Group backed by Musk pours money into ads on behalf of GOP candidate in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
1 month ago

Group backed by Musk pours money into ads on behalf of GOP candidate in Wisconsin Supreme Court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A conservative nonprofit backed by billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk is getting involved in a race that will determine the political direction of the highest court in one of the country’s most important presidential battleground states. The group Building America’s Future is spending $1.6 million on television ads in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race that started airing …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate criticized for attending briefing with Democratic donors
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate criticized for attending briefing with Democratic donors

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The liberal candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court participated in a briefing with Democratic donors billed as a “chance to put two more House seats in play,” a move that Republicans say shows that she is committed to redrawing congressional districts to benefit Democrats. The Wisconsin Republican Party on Wednesday accused Crawford of “selling two of Wisconsin’s …

Battlegrounds Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are back in the spotlight with high-stakes court elections
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Battlegrounds Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are back in the spotlight with high-stakes court elections

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Republicans put Pennsylvania and Wisconsin back in the win column in the 2024 presidential race, and they’re hoping that momentum carries over to contests this year that will determine whether their state Supreme Courts retain left-leaning majorities or flip to conservative control. Musk cited the Wisconsin drop box ruling, which came last July, in a message posted …

Wisconsin GOP threatens to impeach justice over donations, but conservatives also took party cash
1 year, 6 months ago

Wisconsin GOP threatens to impeach justice over donations, but conservatives also took party cash

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republicans talking about impeaching a state Supreme Court justice before she’s heard a case are pointing to the nearly $10 million she received from the Democratic Party as proof that she can’t fairly rule on redistricting cases that could weaken the GOP’s hold on the Legislature. “We’re talking about this case, this justice, and I’ll leave …

Liberal wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat ahead of abortion ruling
1 year, 11 months ago

Liberal wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat ahead of abortion ruling

LA Times  

A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge won the high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race on Tuesday, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years with the fate of the state’s abortion ban pending. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who previously worked for Republicans and had support from the …

Spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court race tops $42 million
1 year, 11 months ago

Spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court race tops $42 million

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Spending on the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race has topped $42 million, nearly triple the previous national record for a court race, with the Democratic-backed candidate having a roughly $6 million advantage, according to a report released on Monday just before polls opened. As of Monday, Protasiewicz and her backers have spent about $23.3 million compared …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates clash over abortion, maps
2 years ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates clash over abortion, maps

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The liberal candidate for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court didn’t back down from her support for abortion rights or her belief that the state’s Republican-drawn legislative maps are unfair during a debate Tuesday in which her GOP-backed opponent accused her of being “bought and paid for” by Democrats. Kelly repeatedly accused the Democratic-backed Protasiewicz of …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate launches first TV ad
2 years ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate launches first TV ad

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court announced his first television ad buy on Friday, just over two weeks before the election and after his Democratic-supported opponent has dominated the airwaves for weeks. Conservative candidate Dan Kelly’s first ad, which faults sentences handed down by opponent Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, amounts to $70,000, according to …

Wisconsin court candidate won’t hear Democrats’ lawsuits
2 years ago

Wisconsin court candidate won’t hear Democrats’ lawsuits

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Democrats’ choice in a high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race said Wednesday that she would not hear cases brought by the Wisconsin Democratic Party because it has donated $2.5 million to her campaign. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz faces Dan Kelly in the April 4 election, with majority control of the state’s highest court at stake. …

Protasiewicz, Kelly advance in Wisconsin high court primary
2 years ago

Protasiewicz, Kelly advance in Wisconsin high court primary

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A liberal Milwaukee judge and a conservative former state Supreme Court justice won Tuesday’s primary to face off in a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race that will determine majority control with major issues looming. I’m talking about the ability to vote, to have a vote that counts about women’s rights, reproductive freedoms, the fact that the 2024 …

Don't ignore the Wisconsin Supreme Court race — it could be crucial for democracy
2 years, 1 month ago

Don't ignore the Wisconsin Supreme Court race — it could be crucial for democracy

Salon  

In April, Wisconsin voters will go to the polls to elect just one justice on just one court — and this race has rightfully been deemed one of the most consequential elections of the year. That's because the person elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court this year could well prove to be the deciding vote on whether Wisconsin protects abortion …

Protasiewicz leads in money race for Wisconsin Supreme Court
2 years, 2 months ago

Protasiewicz leads in money race for Wisconsin Supreme Court

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz raised more money over the last six months of 2022 than her three rivals combined in the pivotal race that will determine majority control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly are the conservative candidates. Donors who gave the …

GOP sees positive 2020 sign in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
5 years, 11 months ago

GOP sees positive 2020 sign in Wisconsin Supreme Court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Conservative Brian Hagedorn’s strong showing in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race cheered state Republicans Wednesday, with their first positive result in a statewide election since 2016 suggesting reasons for optimism next year in a critical presidential battleground. 2020 is an entirely different, politically charged animal with the presidential race.” Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who has been leading …

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