Wisconsin voters on Tuesday elected a Democrat-backed Milwaukee judge in a race that tilted the balance of power of the state Supreme Court to the left.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, 60, defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who previously worked for Republicans and had support from the state’s leading pro-life groups.
Protasiewicz victory gives liberals majority control of the high court for at least the next two years.
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The new court controlled 4-3 by liberals is expected to decide a pending lawsuit challenging the state’s 1849 law banning abortion enacted a year after statehood. Protasiewicz said during the campaign that she supports abortion rights but stopped short of saying how she would rule on the lawsuit. She had called Kelly an “extreme partisan” who would vote to uphold the ban.
In addition to abortion, Protasiewicz’s win is likely to impact the future of Republican-drawn legislative maps, which could have national implications.
Protasiewicz tried to downplay the importance of abortion as an issue in her victory, even though she and her allies, including an array of abortion rights groups like Planned Parenthood, made it the focus of much of her advertising and messaging to voters.
“It was really about saving our democracy, getting away from extremism, and having a fair and impartial court where everybody gets a fair shot in the courtroom,” Protasiewicz told The Associated Press after her win.
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