Why Democrats’ Wisconsin Supreme Court Win Is So Crucial
Janet Protasiewicz’s Tuesday win flips the court’s balance, with huge implications for abortion policy in Wisconsin and the 2024 election nationally.
nymag.com
In the most expensive state judicial contest ever, and arguably the most-watched 2023 election, liberal candidate and circuit court judge Janet Protasiewicz won a crucial seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 4, defeating conservative former justice Dan Kelly by a comfortable margin. It was technically a nonpartisan election, but no one doubted which party was backing each candidate.
Most immediately, the new liberal majority is very likely to strike down the 1849 law banning virtually all abortions that sprang back life like a zombie when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade last year. Protasiewicz campaigned on her belief that the state constitution protects abortion rights, while Kelly noted that he’s been a longtime ally of the anti-abortion movement. The flip in control of the Wisconsin court means a probable effort to revisit the blatant Republican gerrymanders of both congressional and state legislative districts enacted after the last decennial redistricting process. Democrats will also secure a new line of defense against Republican-generated election-law changes aimed at giving GOP candidates an advantage in 2024, when Wisconsin is expected to be a key battleground state for the third straight presidential cycle.
