Earlier this week, Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in as Wisconsin’s newest State Supreme Court Justice after her double-digit election victory earlier this year. Justice Protasiewicz replaces former-Chief Justice Pat Roggensack who retired after 20 years of service. The court now flips to a 4-3 liberal majority after 15 years of conservative control.
During the campaign, Justice Protasiewicz campaigned specifically on reversing key decisions made by the previous courts. While she specifically mentioned abortion and redistricting maps as items she’d like to reverse, other items include Act 10, Right to Work, School Choice, and any major piece of legislation passed since 2011.
In fact, only a day after she was sworn in, liberal groups filed a lawsuit directly to the Supreme Court challenging the legislative maps approved by the State Supreme Court and US Supreme Court just last session.
The next election that could tip power back to the conservatives is not for another two years when liberal Justice Anne Walsh Bradley is up for re-election in 2025. Groups will try to get as many lawsuits filed this session as possible in order to take advantage of the new court tilt.
