Tuesday’s result confirmed the wisdom of Protasiewicz’s bold strategy as a first-time statewide candidate. “But the real winner is democracy in Wisconsin.”Ĭitizen Action backed Protasiewicz, as did labor and environmental groups, LGBTQ+ organizations, and leaders of the state’s resurgent Democratic Party, including US Senator Tammy Baldwin and US Representatives Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore. “Tonight, Janet Protasiewicz won the most pivotal State Supreme Court election in Wisconsin history!” said Robert Kraig, the executive director of the progressive group Citizen Action of Wisconsin. The four liberals will also serve as a bulwark against right-wing efforts to meddle with the results of a 2024 presidential election in which 2020 election-denier Donald Trump is again likely to be the Republican nominee. The justices could also order new congressional district maps, giving Democrats dramatically better chances in the 2024 elections for Wisconsin seats in the US House and perhaps shifting control of two seats in a chamber where Republicans hold only the narrowest majority. With Protasiewicz on the court, the new majority could force a redraw of the legislative maps, giving Democrats a chance to take the state Assembly and Senate. Wisconsin Republicans have engineered perhaps the most extreme gerrymander in the country, handing themselves commanding and wildly disproportionate majorities in both houses of the state legislature and the state’s congressional delegation. It matters, as well, for every American who wants to defend democracy and the right to free and fair elections. Protasiewicz’s victory will matter for Wisconsin, where progressives will now have an opportunity to reassert the rule of law on issues ranging from reproductive rights to labor rights. Unprecedented turnouts in student districts around the state contributed to Protasiewicz’s win, as young voters turned out for a pro-choice candidate in a state where legal challenges to an 1849 ban on abortion could reach the high court on which anti-choice conservatives held the majority before Tuesday’s vote. Media outlets began calling the race less than an hour after the polls closed. The liberal was leading not just in progressive strongholds such as Madison and Milwaukee but also in many of the state’s smaller cities and rural counties. They can also speak out regarding injustice and work to effect change where needed by being brave enough to work together to make it happen.With almost 90 percent of the votes counted late on Tuesday evening, Protasiewicz was winning more than 55 percent of the vote, to less than 45 percent for Kelly. Citizens can and should avail themselves of the right to elect persons who will represent their interests and abide by the law. Edgar Hoover, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Ĭourt officials administer justice based on the laws of the land. “Justice is merely incidental to law and order,” said J. Justice does not always seem fair, as often both the prosecution and defense walk away frustrated by the outcome. Justice is not for one man or woman to determine as perhaps is the case in other countries. Sometimes, it happens that communities administer “justice” when members feel the court system has failed to do so.īut America is a democracy, founded on principles of equality and justice.Įleanor Roosevelt is credited with saying, “Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both sides.” William Penn is also credited with the mantra, “Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.”Īmerican justice demands a fair trial based on facts and evidence, often judged by a jury of peers who hear testimony and review evidence presented in court. Citizens are tempted to take matters into their own hands.
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