Do elections have consequences?
At some point, America will politicize its school crossing guards, subject them to multi-million dollar campaigns, social media vituperation, and grand juries.
Our legal system is more politicized than the days of “Impeach Earl Warren” 60 years ago. Today, Democrats in Congress are baying for the heads of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. On Wisconsin’s high court, it is the Night of the Sicilian Vespers. The long knives are unsheathed for all but “made” progressives.
Newly sworn in Tuesday 08-01-23 as the seven-member court’s fourth progressive, Janet Protasiewicz speechified her committment to “fairness and impartiality.”
“The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s execution of our duties without favor to special interests, political pressure. or our own personal beliefs is vital to giving the people of our state trust and confidence in our judicial system.”
— Justice Janet Protaseiwicz
A super legislature?
The very next day, her new 4-3 liberal majority fired the non-partisan director of the state court system without giving a reason. Took the vote in secret without the other three justices knowing about it. Told Randy Koschnik’s staff to pack up his things because the man was out of town.
“There’s no decorum, no grace, no civility,” said Koschnick. His crime? He once ran against former chief justice Shirley Abrahamson 14 long years ago.
→ Court liberals originally wanted Democratic political campaign operative to replace Koschnik, Wisconsin Right Now reports.
→ “Koschnik’s firing is deeply troubling.” — Bill Lueders, president WI Freedom of Information Council.
→ “A bad start.” — former Madison mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
→ “My colleagues’ unprecedented, dangerous conduct is the raw exercise of overreaching power. It is shameful. I fear this is only the beginning.” — Chief Justice Annette Ziegler.
→ ” “ — The Capital Times.
‘Compassion’? ‘Open mindedness’?
Recall the words of Capital Times publisher Paul Fanlund, who enthused, after Protasiewicz’s election this past April: “Centrists and liberals can now hope to restore the state’s historic reputation for fairness, compassion, innovation and open-mindedness.”
Except that never has an applicant for a high court, state or federal, been as baldly partisan as Protasiewicz, who promised to overturn the Act 10 limits on teacher unions, legalize full-term abortion on demand, and redraw legislative districts to Democrat advantage. Indeed, at a candidate forum, she called the maps “rigged.”
Sure enough, progressives issued their redistricting challenge the day after the newest justice’s investiture.
Prior to the last election, Tony Evers drew his own map. Even that Democrat’s map would have elected 55 Republicans to 44 Democrats in the Assembly. (The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Evers’ map as racial gerrymandering.)
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Got to think that Tony Evers vetoes any map the Republican legislature draws, sending the matter to the court. It is not inconceivable that Janet Protasiewicz draws maps skewed even more partisan. The only appeal, to the U.S. Supreme Court, could well be denied for lack of jurisdiction.
Endorsing her election, The Capital Times promised Judge Protasiewicz would form “a high-court majority that rejects the judicial activism of partisans who are in the pocket of special interests.”
3 responses to “It’s payback time on Wisconsin’s high court”
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“never has an applicant for a high court, state or federal, been as baldly partisan as Protasiewicz”. Wow, didn’t take long to forget Dan Kelly, did it. And we still have noted homophobe R. Bradley.
Protasiewicz was blatantly more partisan than Kelly, and scarier too. Scarier yet is the disturbing trend of voters, leftists especially, that want to pack the courts with partisan ideologues instead of impartial judges that will check that baggage at the courtroom door. That’s their solution to not getting their dirty deeds done through legislative channels.
In better news, progressive scofflaw and craft beer blasphemer Kirk Bangstad got a taste of his own cancel culture last week as the Minocqua city council shut his brewery down for multiple city ordinance violations.