Wisconsin Supreme Court enters a new era as it flips to liberal control after 15 years
Wisconsin Supreme Court enters a new era as it flips to liberal control after 15 years
https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-liberal-8800fc9d37e6194f777c2fed261c5d37
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Wisconsin Democrats celebrated the beginning of a new era for the state Supreme Court as it flipped from conservative to liberal control for the first time in 15 years. (August 2)
By SCOTT BAUER
Updated 5:57 AM CDT, August 2, 2023
MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin Democrats celebrated the beginning of a new era for the state Supreme Court on Tuesday as it flipped from conservative to liberal control for the first time in 15 years.
Janet Protasiewicz, who made abortion rights a focus of her winning election campaign and called Republican-drawn redistricting maps rigged, marked the start of her 10-year term with a swearing-in ceremony in the state Capitol Rotunda attended by an overflow crowd of hundreds, including many Democratic officeholders.
Protasiewiczs win carries tremendous weight in Wisconsin, where the state Supreme Court has been the last word on some of the biggest political and policy battles of the past decade-plus.
The conservative-controlled court came within one vote of overturning President Joe Bidens narrow win in the state in 2020, though Biden still would have had enough electoral votes to claim the presidency. More battles over voting rules and elections are expected leading up to 2024, along with challenges to the states abortion ban, Republican-drawn political boundary lines and a host of other hot-button issues.
Protasiewicz promised not to bow to political pressure.
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