Wisconsin Supreme Court justices pick sides in race
1 year, 10 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices pick sides in race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A majority of the current members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court have picked a favorite candidate in the race that will decide the ideological balance of the court with several major decisions looming. Justice Ann Walsh Bradley on Tuesday became the latest justice to endorse in the race, throwing her support behind liberal candidate Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jane Protasiewicz. Outside groups have largely not gotten involved in the primary, but the liberal group A Better Wisconsin Together on Tuesday started running about $800,000 worth of attack ads targeting conservative candidate Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow. Bradley and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet, both liberals, have endorsed Protasiewicz. Three current justices have not endorsed anyone ahead of the primary: Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, liberal Justice Jill Karofsky and conservative swing Justice Brian Hagedorn.

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History of this topic

How the Most Important Judicial Votes Played Out on Election Day
1 month, 2 weeks ago

How the Most Important Judicial Votes Played Out on Election Day

Slate  

This piece was originally published on State Court Report, a hub for reporting, analysis, and commentary about state courts and constitutions. State supreme courts have long had substantial power to shape the law and lives of people in their states, but these courts and their elections have taken on new political prominence since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs …

Liberal Judge Susan Crawford enters race for Wisconsin Supreme Court with majority at stake
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Liberal Judge Susan Crawford enters race for Wisconsin Supreme Court with majority at stake

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A liberal judge who previously represented Planned Parenthood in a case related to abortion access entered the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday, with majority control of the battleground state’s highest court on the line. AP AUDIO: Liberal Judge Susan Crawford enters race for Wisconsin Supreme Court with majority at stake Wisconsin’s Supreme Court is once …

Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice says she won’t run again, setting up fight for control
8 months, 1 week ago

Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice says she won’t run again, setting up fight for control

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The longest-serving current Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and member of its liberal majority announced Thursday that she will not seek another term, setting up a high-stakes fight for control of the battleground state’s highest court. At least two current liberal judges — Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford and state Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor — are …

Control of Wisconsin Supreme Court will be up for grabs after liberal justice's surprise retirement
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Control of Wisconsin Supreme Court will be up for grabs after liberal justice's surprise retirement

Salon  

One year after a closely-watched election tipped the Wisconsin Supreme Court towards a 4-3 liberal majority, the impending retirement of a liberal justice, Ann Walsh Bradley, is teeing off another battle for control of the state's highest court. Conservatives long held the reins of legislative and judicial power in Wisconsin until the most expensive state Supreme Court campaign in U.S. …

Former Wisconsin GOP Attorney General Brad Schimel is running for the state Supreme Court
1 year ago

Former Wisconsin GOP Attorney General Brad Schimel is running for the state Supreme Court

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel announced Thursday that he is running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court against incumbent Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in 2025, casting the race as a chance for conservatives to win back a majority and serve as a check on liberals. As Waukesha County district attorney in 2012, Schimel endorsed a Wisconsin Right …

A member of the secret panel studying Wisconsin Supreme Court justice’s impeachment backed her rival
1 year, 3 months ago

A member of the secret panel studying Wisconsin Supreme Court justice’s impeachment backed her rival

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — One of the former Wisconsin Supreme Court justices tapped to investigate impeaching newly elected Justice Janet Protasiewicz for taking Democratic Party money accepted donations from the state Republican Party when he was on the court. Speaker Robin Vos has floated impeachment because Protasiewicz accepted nearly $10 million from the Wisconsin Democratic Party and said during the campaign …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates often speak out on hot topics. Only one faces impeachment threat
1 year, 3 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates often speak out on hot topics. Only one faces impeachment threat

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who Republicans are threatening to impeach over comments she made on the campaign trail about abortion and redistricting isn’t the first member of the court to offer public opinions about major issues of the day. “Where was their outrage and their demands for recusal when conservatives in the past have weighed in …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates often speak out on hot topics. Only one faces impeachment threat
1 year, 3 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates often speak out on hot topics. Only one faces impeachment threat

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who Republicans are threatening to …

Wisconsin GOP threatens to impeach justice over donations, but conservatives also took party cash
1 year, 3 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 …

Wisconsin Democrats combat threatened impeachment of court justice with $4M effort
1 year, 3 months ago

Wisconsin Democrats combat threatened impeachment of court justice with $4M effort

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Democratic Party on Wednesday launched a $4 million effort to pressure Republicans to back down from impeaching a new liberal state Supreme Court justice being targeted after she criticized GOP-drawn legislative electoral maps and spoke in favor of abortion rights. The judge’s election tipped the balance of power in the state Supreme Court, giving Democrats …

Complaints over campaign comments by Wisconsin Supreme Court justice are dismissed
1 year, 3 months ago

Complaints over campaign comments by Wisconsin Supreme Court justice are dismissed

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A state judiciary disciplinary panel has rejected several complaints lodged against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz that alleged she violated the judicial code of ethics for comments she made during the campaign. Protasiewicz on Tuesday released a letter from the Wisconsin Judicial Commission informing her that “several complaints” regarding comments she had made during the campaign …

Liberals fight Republican attempt to boot Wisconsin Supreme Court justice from redistricting case
1 year, 3 months ago

Liberals fight Republican attempt to boot Wisconsin Supreme Court justice from redistricting case

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Liberals argued in a legal filing this week that Republicans were trying to nullify the election of a Democratic-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court justice by asking her to recuse herself from hearing redistricting lawsuits that could result in drawing new legislative electoral maps. Attorneys in two separate redistricting cases filed arguments Tuesday objecting to the Republican-controlled Legislature’s request …

Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice accuses liberals of ‘raw exercise of overreaching power’
1 year, 4 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice accuses liberals of ‘raw exercise of overreaching power’

LA Times  

The conservative chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court accused her liberal colleagues of a “raw exercise of overreaching power” after they flexed their new majority Wednesday and fired the director of the state’s court system. Politics Liberal wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat ahead of abortion ruling A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge has won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, ensuring liberals …

Protasiewicz wins big in seismic shift for Wisconsin
1 year, 8 months ago

Protasiewicz wins big in seismic shift for Wisconsin

Raw Story  

As Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz took the stage at her election victory party Tuesday night, the three current members of the liberal minority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court watched from off stage, arm-in-arm, as they took in the moment they became a majority. “First, it means Wisconsin voters have made their voices heard, they’ve chosen to reject partisan extremism …

Democrats’ choice wins key Wisconsin Supreme Court race
1 year, 8 months ago

Democrats’ choice wins key Wisconsin Supreme Court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge won the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race 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 on the line. The victory speaks to the importance of abortion as an issue for Democrats in a key …

Liberals Take Control Of Wisconsin Supreme Court
1 year, 8 months ago

Liberals Take Control Of Wisconsin Supreme Court

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Judge Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal, won a heated race for an open Wisconsin Supreme Court seat on Tuesday, shifting the balance of power on the state’s high court from conservatives to liberals for the first time since at least 2008. Although Wisconsin’s judicial races are officially nonpartisan, Protasiewicz’s victory over former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, a …

Wisconsin Supreme Court election loser refuses to concede to winner he deems not "worthy"
1 year, 8 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court election loser refuses to concede to winner he deems not "worthy"

Salon  

This article originally appeared at Common Dreams. Daniel Kelly, the right-wing former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who lost his bid to re-join the high court on Tuesday as liberal circuit court judge Janet Protasiewicz won by a decisive margin, refused to concede to his opponent in a speech that one critic said personified the Republican Party's approach to electoral politics …

Liberal wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race centred on abortion
1 year, 8 months ago

Liberal wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race centred on abortion

Al Jazeera  

Election of Janet Protasiewicz gives liberals a majority on the court ahead of upcoming ruling on state abortion ban. Voters in Wisconsin have elected Judge Janet Protasiewicz to the state Supreme Court, creating a liberal majority on the bench in a key swing state ahead of the 2024 United States presidential election. Protasiewicz put abortion at the centre of her …

Liberal wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat ahead of abortion ruling
1 year, 8 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, 8 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 control, abortion access at stake
1 year, 8 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court control, abortion access at stake

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and likely the future of abortion access, Republican-drawn legislative maps and years of GOP policies in the key swing state rests with the outcome an election Tuesday that has seen record campaign spending. “The policy direction of Wisconsin is going to be determined in large part by this Supreme Court race,” …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate OK with Jan. 6 participant
1 year, 9 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate OK with Jan. 6 participant

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court said Thursday that he had no problem with someone who was on the U.S. Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection campaigning for him across the state in the waning days of the high stakes race, calling his work “invaluable.” Dan Kelly on Wednesday posted a video on Twitter …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates clash over abortion, maps
1 year, 9 months 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 …

Attack lines broaden beyond abortion in Wisconsin court race
1 year, 9 months ago

Attack lines broaden beyond abortion in Wisconsin court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-backed candidate in Wisconsin’s high-stakes race for state Supreme Court accused his liberal opponent Tuesday of slandering him in a barrage of television ads that initially focused on his views on abortion, but have widened to take on his past work for Republicans and other topics. “They’re simply not true.” Protasiewicz’s campaign spokesperson Sam Roecker responded …

Wisconsin court candidate won’t hear Democrats’ lawsuits
1 year, 9 months 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. …

Work for anti-abortion group issue in Wisconsin court race
1 year, 9 months ago

Work for anti-abortion group issue in Wisconsin court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-backed candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court provided legal advice to one of the state’s leading anti-abortion groups, work that Wisconsin Right to Life and Dan Kelly have not detailed but that is being used against Kelly by his liberal opponent. In the spot, Protasiewicz labels Kelly as too extreme, claiming, “For years, Kelly was on …

Protasiewicz, Kelly advance in Wisconsin high court primary
1 year, 10 months 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
1 year, 10 months 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 …

Abortion among major issues at stake in Wisconsin court race
1 year, 10 months ago

Abortion among major issues at stake in Wisconsin court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A conservative tilt on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has given Republicans victories on voting restrictions, gerrymandered legislative districts and other high-stakes cases in recent years. “But in Wisconsin, this race is at least as important as all the battles of the last two years.” The Supreme Court election campaign could break national spending records if a conservative …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate worked for Republicans
1 year, 10 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate worked for Republicans

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — One of the two conservative candidates for an open Wisconsin Supreme Court seat was paid by state and national Republicans to advise on election issues, including the plan to have fake GOP electors cast ballots for Donald Trump even though he lost the state. Hitt testified that he brought in Kelly to “kind of advise on election …

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate focuses on parade crash
1 year, 10 months ago

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate focuses on parade crash

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A conservative candidate in a pivotal race for Wisconsin Supreme Court is using video images of an SUV that drove through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, killing six people, in her first television ad of the race released Thursday. Dorow is one of four candidates, and one of two conservatives, in the race for an open …

Abortion front and center in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
1 year, 10 months ago

Abortion front and center in Wisconsin Supreme Court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A liberal judge running in a pivotal race to determine majority control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court touts her support for abortion rights in the first two television ads of the closely watched race launched Thursday. Protasiewicz faces another liberal, Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell, and two conservative candidates: former Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly and …

Protasiewicz leads in money race for Wisconsin Supreme Court
1 year, 11 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 …

Partisan-backed Wisconsin court candidates vow to be fair
1 year, 11 months ago

Partisan-backed Wisconsin court candidates vow to be fair

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Partisan-backed candidates running for a seat that will determine whether conservatives or liberals have majority control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court said at a Monday forum that they would not let party politics influence how they rule. But the two liberal candidates made clear where they stand on hot-button issues, speaking out against the U.S. Supreme Court …

Wisconsin parade crash case an issue in Supreme Court race
2 years ago

Wisconsin parade crash case an issue in Supreme Court race

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The judge who oversaw the trial of a man convicted of killing six people when he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade last year says national exposure and encouragement she got for her handling of the case is not why she is running for a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. “I’m struggling to think of any …

Parade killings judge running for Wisconsin Supreme Court
2 years ago

Parade killings judge running for Wisconsin Supreme Court

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The judge who presided over the trial of the man convicted of killing six people during the Waukesha Christmas parade is running for a spot on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, her husband said Tuesday. Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell and Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, both liberals, are running, as is Dan Kelly, a conservative …

Parade killings judge nears decision on Supreme Court run
2 years ago

Parade killings judge nears decision on Supreme Court run

Associated Press  

WAUKESHA, Wis. — The judge who presided over the trial of the man convicted of killing six people during the Waukesha Christmas parade said Monday that she will make a decision on whether to run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court “in the coming days.” Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow’s comments to WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee are the first public remarks …

Parade crash judge mulls Wisconsin Supreme Court run
2 years, 1 month ago

Parade crash judge mulls Wisconsin Supreme Court run

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Judge Jennifer Dorow drew fan mail and gifts from people who admired her handling of the often disruptive actions of a man on trial for killing six people by driving through a Christmas parade. There are already two liberal candidates and a conservative former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice running. Viewers sent cards, letters and gifts to …

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice running again
2 years, 3 months ago

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice running again

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, who served for four years before losing election in 2020, announced Thursday he will run for an open spot on the court next year. “If an activist were to win next April, Wisconsin’s public policy would be imposed by four lawyers sitting in Madison instead of being adopted through our …

Judge Everett Mitchell running for Wisconsin Supreme Court
2 years, 6 months ago

Judge Everett Mitchell running for Wisconsin Supreme Court

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell announced Wednesday that he will run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court next year to fill a seat currently held by the conservative former chief justice. Mitchell, who is Black, said the Wisconsin Supreme Court must reflect “the growing diversity of ideas and communities within our state” and be “an instrument of …

Wisconsin Senate candidate slams Ron Johnson on abortion
2 years, 7 months ago

Wisconsin Senate candidate slams Ron Johnson on abortion

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The only woman running for U.S. Senate in battleground Wisconsin hoped to separate herself from her Democratic challengers on Thursday by being the first on the air with an ad hitting incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson for supporting the expected overturning of Roe v. Wade. Sarah Godlewski recorded the ad in Washington, D.C., outside of the U.S. …

Democrats set confirmation hearings for Supreme Court pick Ketanji Brown Jackson
2 years, 9 months ago

Democrats set confirmation hearings for Supreme Court pick Ketanji Brown Jackson

LA Times  

Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings will begin March 21, a top Democrat announced Wednesday. The Senate Judiciary Committee “will undertake a fair and timely process to consider Judge Jackson’s nomination,” Chairman Richard J. Durbin, assistant majority leader, told colleagues in a letter. Schumer said he had described Jackson as “brilliant and beloved” before they met due …

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