Leftist Judge Advances in Wisconsin Supreme Court Primary

Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz will advance to the general election for an open seat on Wisconsin’s supreme court.

The Wisconsin supreme court currently sits with a 4-3 conservative majority, but conservative supreme court Judge Patience Roggensack is retiring, creating the possibility for Protasiewicz to change the majority on the court.

The vacancy poses an opportunity for leftists to take control of the Badger State’s high court ahead of the 2024 election, which could see election challenges and redistricting issues. It will likely also weigh in on abortion.

Protasiewicz was one of four contenders in an open, non-partisan primary that saw two liberals and two conservatives run. The top two vote recipients advance to the April 4 general. Protasiewicz will face conservative former state supreme court Judge Daniel Kelly.

I’m honored we will continue on from this primary. This is just the beginning & our work is far from over. I’m counting on all of you to continue the momentum all the way thru April 4– there’s too much at stake in this election for us to take anything for granted. pic.twitter.com/4bhq7D0eXU

— Judge Janet Protasiewicz (@janetforjustice) February 22, 2023

Protasiewicz was a relatively controversial candidate, as she was outspoken about her political ideology during the campaign, believing that election maps were “rigged” and making a campaign ad saying, “I believe in a woman’s freedom to make her own decision on abortion.”

Statements like that implicate cases currently expected to end up before the supreme court, such as a challenge to a 1849 law that bans abortion entirely, save when a mother’s life is at risk. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) filed a lawsuit against the law after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, which had nullified the law since 1973.

On the election front, while Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) won his seat in 2022, Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s (D-WI) seat is up for reelection in 2024 — not to mention Wisconsin’s reputation as a presidential swing state that saw a Trump victory in 2016 and a Biden victory in 2020.

Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.