Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race down to two candidates
Two candidates will face off for the final Wisconsin Supreme Court judge seat at the state’s April 4 election. The candidate pool was whittled down from four to two after the February 21 primary which saw Judge Janet Protasiewicz and Judge Dan Kelly advance to the spring election.
The two judges combined to earn over 70 percent of the votes cast while Judge Jennifer Dorow and Judge Everett Mitchell received 22 and seven percent, respectively.
Protasiewicz, who had the most votes between the four candidates with 46 percent of the votes, is a 25year prosecutor and current Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge. She has been outspoken about her stance on abortion and has shared her intentions if elected.
“I value a woman’s freedom to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions with her doctor, family, and faith,” Protasiewicz said in a release following the primary victory.
Although the election is considered non-partisan, Protasiewicz has been supported by Democrats and Kelly has been backed by Republicans.
Kelly on the other hand is the only candidate that was backed by three pro-life groups within the state. Kelly said in reference to the 1849 ruling, “Organizations around the state are united in their insistence that the next Supreme Court justice be committed to following the law, not making or changing it.”
The hot button issue is likely to reach the Supreme Court over the next couple years as state Democrats have been blocking the law from taking effect.
Kelly was serving as a Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge and also served as a former state Supreme Court justice who lost his seat in a 2020 election to Jill Karofsky. The election is being held to replace the retiring Justice Patience Roggensack who was a long-time conservative voice on the court.
Another polarizing issue at hand during the April 4 election will be the two judges’ differentiating opinions on elections past and present. A report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Kelly was given $120,000 by the Wisconsin Republican Party and the Republican National Committee to work on election issues in 2020.
Protasiewicz has said that maps adopted by Republicans would be revisited under her watch. A report by Matthew DeFour of Wisconsin Watch in December of 2022 said Wisconsin maps are more skewed than ever after a 2011 redistricting effort led by state Republicans.
“I also value our democracy and believe every Wisconsinite deserves to be fairly represented,” Protasiewicz said.
Kelly has maintained that the court (and specifically, Protasiewicz) should not be taking political stands on topics and should instead do what they were intended to do, and follow the letter of the law.
The two candidates have proven their differentiating opinions on various issues and with a three and three split in Democrat and Republicanleaning judges, April 4 is slated to be an important election for Wisconsin.
