{"id":8480,"date":"2024-11-25T10:58:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T02:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=8480"},"modified":"2024-11-25T10:59:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T02:59:01","slug":"wisconsin-tees-up-high-stakes-supreme-court-race-with-partisan-control-on-the-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=8480","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin tees up high-stakes Supreme Court race with partisan control on the line"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Wisconsin is bracing for a high-stakes state Supreme Court election that will determine its balance of power just months after President-elect Trump flipped the battleground state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and former state Attorney General Brad Schimel (R) are vying for retiring liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley\u2019s seat on the high court, which currently has a 4-3 liberal tilt. Bradley\u2019s departure brings the partisan balance to a 3-3 split.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans are eager to net a seat on the court after losing a consequential Wisconsin Supreme Court race two years ago, handing Democrats control for the first time in 15 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rusty Schultz, who\u2019s worked for former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Sen. Ron Johnson\u2019s (R-Wis.) campaign, noted that \u201cconservatives are starting to wake up to the importance of the court.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think there was this, like, maybe sense of apprehension or just not necessarily understanding, because for so long, we pulled all three levers of government, right, and we kind of took that court for granted,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd I think in 2023, after that loss, people started to wake up to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voters will be heading to the polls early next year to weigh which candidate should fill the vacancy on the state\u2019s highest court. So far, Crawford and Schimel are the only declared candidates, though there could be late additions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Wisconsin Supreme Court races are technically nonpartisan, both candidates have clearly leaned into issues that resonate with their Republican and Democratic bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most voters know Schimel as a former Republican state attorney general, though he\u2019s currently a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge. His website touts his time as Wisconsin attorney general \u2014 \u201cthe state\u2019s Top Cop,\u201d as his campaign describes him \u2014 and his record on advocating for crime victims and his work on the opioid abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI watched in 2023 what happened in the last Supreme Court race, and I felt compelled to run,\u201d Schimel told The Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a candidate for office who won promising how she would rule on cases, and the other \u2014 the other liberals on the court were applauding that. They were just wildly in favor of it,\u201d he said, alluding to then-liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz, who irked Republicans by saying she believed in women\u2019s freedom to make their own choices over abortion and called the state electoral map \u201crigged\u201d in the 2023 race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protasiewicz never said how she would rule on any cases before her, though it didn\u2019t quiet GOP criticism around her remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crawford\u2019s campaign notes she represented Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and protected voting and workers\u2019 rights. She also leaned into the issue of crime, noting her background as a former assistant attorney general within the Wisconsin Department of Justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam Roecker, a consultant for Crawford\u2019s campaign who also worked on Protasiewicz\u2019s team in 2023, acknowledged that while the issues between the 2023 race and now might be similar, \u201cat its heart though, this is still about do we want a court that\u2019s fair and impartial in Wisconsin or do we want a court that acts more as a rubber stamp for a really extreme, right-wing agenda?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The race has shown early signs that the contest is turning personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crawford\u2019s campaign has already characterized Schimel as a \u201cright-wing extremist.\u201d She and Wisconsin Democrats targeted him over issues like abortion, noting he signed onto a Wisconsin Right to Life white paper in 2012 arguing that \u201cWisconsin unborn children will be best protected\u201d by keeping the state\u2019s 1849 abortion law rather than a personhood amendment if Roe v. Wade gets overturned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was a long time ago. I did that when I was in a different role as a judge,\u201d Schimel told The Hill. \u201cI never would \u2014 I would never sign something like that because that would be improper in my role as a judicial officer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t be more clear when I say that, as a justice on the Supreme Court, I am not running to undo the will of the people. Laws that are passed are the laws that are passed, and I\u2019ll respect that,\u201d he said. \u201cUnless they run afoul of the Constitution, I\u2019ll uphold the will of the people through those laws.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, when Crawford announced her candidacy, Schimel suggested in a statement that the Dane County judge didn\u2019t have Wisconsinites\u2019 interests at heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent my career defending and upholding Wisconsin law and she\u2019s spent much of hers suing the state of Wisconsin,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roecker brushed off those attacks, saying that Crawford has been \u201cfighting to protect rights and freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s \u201cbeen a prosecutor, she\u2019s been a judge, she\u2019s held criminals accountable. She\u2019s prosecuted violent offenders. I think that\u2019s \u2014 that\u2019s pretty clear,\u201d Roecker said. \u201cShe\u2019s also been an attorney and as an attorney, she fought to protect access to reproductive care. She fought for workers\u2019 rights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are uncanny parallels between the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race and next year\u2019s. Both are determinative of partisan control on the state\u2019s high court, and so far, the focus of this race appears to be on similar issues to that of the previous battle: abortion and crime. The campaign this cycle has shown signs it could turn nasty, as it did two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wisconsin\u2019s last state Supreme Court race shattered a record for spending in a state judicial election, and observers expect the same to happen by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much money was spent in last cycle\u2019s race particularly because the Badger State is one of seven battleground states, and the opportunity to tilt partisan control on one of those high courts is few and far between. Some of the court\u2019s most consequential rulings in recent years have included tossing out challenges to the 2020 election results in the state, ordering new maps created for the state Legislature and allowing drop boxes to be used during the 2024 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The court is expected to issue a decision over a case on the state\u2019s 1849 abortion law that bars nearly all abortions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Howard Schweber, professor of political science and legal studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained that some of the issues worth keeping an eye on are abortion, elections, Act 10 \u2014 Walker-era legislation that curtailed collective bargaining rights for many public employees \u2014 redistricting and religious freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schweber suggested that if Schimel wins, it\u2019s likely that the court could see another lawsuit over the state Legislature maps. He also expected that a conservative majority would be friendlier toward religious organizations and other entities \u201ckind of following the Roberts Court in breaking down what have been traditional barriers between church and state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf Crawford wins, I expect to see the Wisconsin Supreme Court do what some other state courts have done, which is to say, \u2018Well, the U.S. Supreme Court can say whatever it wants about the U.S. Constitution, but under the Wisconsin Constitution, we think there\u2019s a separate, independent principle of separation of church and state,\u2019 and then develop doctrines from there,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schweber also noted that if Crawford won, it could encourage Democrats to challenge Act 10 constitutionally. Crawford previously represented the teacher\u2019s union in Madison during their lawsuit over Act 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Trump won the state earlier this month, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) survived a competitive Senate reelection bid, raising questions around how both parties are parsing through the election night results heading into the judicial election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats in the Badger State say there are reasons to be optimistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was much written at the time about the vaunted Scott Walker machine that won so many races for so many years,\u201d said Democratic strategist Thad Nation. \u201cThat\u2019s gone. I mean, it\u2019s just completely and utterly gone in the Wisconsin landscape and has been replaced by state Democratic Party\u2019s turnout efforts that just keep getting better and better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans say they have reason to feel good heading into next year, too. Wisconsin GOP Chair Brian Schimming noted they\u2019ve kept on staff that they normally would not have at this point. Republicans, too, may also get to avoid a nasty primary battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think our organization is very hot,\u201d Schimming said, adding Wisconsinites are \u201centhused\u201d about Schimel, and he\u2019s already been elected statewide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think folks nationally on both sides recognize that it\u2019s not just a court seat, it\u2019ll be the gift that keeps on giving for three years,\u201d he chuckled, adding \u201cbecause it won\u2019t be until 2028 until conservatives get another opportunity on this court.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wisconsin is bracing for a high-stakes state Supreme Court election that will determine its balance of power just months after President-elect Trump flipped the battleground state. Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and former state Attorney General Brad Schimel (R) are vying for retiring liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley\u2019s seat on the high court, which currently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":8481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2006,1603,2050],"class_list":["post-8480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-court","tag-state","tag-wisconsin"],"yoast_head":"\nWisconsin tees up high-stakes Supreme Court race with partisan control on the line - LISTEN WORLD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=8480\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wisconsin tees up high-stakes Supreme Court race with partisan control on the line - LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wisconsin is bracing for a high-stakes state Supreme Court election that will determine its balance of power just months after President-elect Trump flipped the battleground state. 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