Category: Wisconsin Supreme Court

New Liberal Supreme Court Majority Could Mean Big Changes in Wisconsin

News Analysis Seldom has the election for a single state supreme court justice had the power to change so many things at the state level, and potentially the national level, as this month’s race in Wisconsin. That truth was not lost on liberal, conservative, and special interest groups across the country, whose contributions had made…


Wisconsin Conservatives Cry Foul in State Supreme Court Election Defeat

Out-spent and out-hustled, Wisconsin conservatives suffered a crushing loss this month when a liberal won a seat on the state Supreme Court. The defeat has some Republicans calling the results “tainted.” About a month before the April 4 election, conservative activists became aware of an online left-wing get-out-the-vote project that was drumming up votes for…


Janet Protasiewicz Wins Wisconsin State Supreme Court Race, Tipping Court’s Balance to Progressives

Former Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz was projected the winner of the April 4 Wisconsin state Supreme Court race, tipping the court’s balance from a 4–3 conservative majority to a 4–3 progressive majority. Protasiewicz won the race over runner-up Daniel Kelly, according to Decision Desk HQ. Her success was likely due in part to her reportedly well out-fundraising her…


High-Stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court Race May Determine Future of Abortion Laws

The Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Democrat-backed Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz and Republican-backed former state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly could end a decade of Republican dominance in one of the nation’s most pivotal swing states. The current conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is 4–3, but the retirement of conservative Justice…


Abortion Laws, Ideological Makeup of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court to Be Decided in Upcoming Race

A race in Wisconsin for a seat on the state’s Supreme Court will decide the court’s ideological balance and the fate of abortion access in the state. The technically non-partisan primary on Feb. 21 winnowed down a field of four contenders to two, a conservative-leaning and a liberal-leaning judge, who will meet at the general…


A State Election With National Political Implications

A Wisconsin statewide election campaign—with the primary set for Feb. 21 and the general election vote for Apr. 4—is attracting the keen interest of political operatives from across the country and bringing in piles of cash to support the candidates. In this battleground state, there is much at stake in the outcome to fill an…


Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds School District Policy Regarding Identity of Trans Students

The Supreme Court of Wisconsin has ruled that the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) may continue enforcing a policy that prevents school authorities from divulging a student’s transgender identity to their parents without the student’s permission. In 2018, the MMSD introduced a policy according to which transgender, gender non-conforming, and nonbinary students were considered to…


In Blow to Democrats, Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Republican Appointee

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Republican-appointed member of the Wisconsin Board of Natural Resources, which determines policies for the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), thwarting efforts from Democrats to remove him from the post. In 2015, the Republican governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, appointed Dr. Fred Prehn, a dentist and businessman…


Wisconsin Supreme Court Takes Up Challenge to COVID-19 Mask Orders

MADISON, Wis.—A long-simmering dispute is headed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court over the frequent use of local health department mask mandates in an attempt to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Wisconsin’s capital city and county. The high court granted a motion from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) and its…


Businesses Ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to Prevent Governor From Outing Companies With COVID-19-Positive Staff

The largest small-business advocacy group in the country is urging the Wisconsin Supreme Court to block Democratic Gov. Tony Evers from publishing the names of those businesses in the state whose employees have tested positive for the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19. Evers doesn’t have a good track record in these matters in the state’s supreme court….