Democrats pull off historic victory flipping Wisconsin's Supreme Court after 15-year drought

05 April 2023

Democratic liberals have made history in the state of Wisconsin by flipping the state's Supreme Court, a feat that has taken more than 15 years to accomplish.

According to Bolt Magazine's Daniel Nichanian, "Janet Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee judge who ran with Democratic support, won the seat of a retiring conservative justice after a heated campaign that pulverized national spending records."

He added, "Her victory hands liberals a majority on the supreme court for the first time since 2008. They will keep it until at least 2025, when Justice Ann Bradley’s term expires."

Nichanian noted that Protasiewicz managed to defeat her opponent by a substantial margin. According to Nichanian, her victory was "powered by huge margins and comparatively strong turnout in Milwaukee and Madison’s Dane County, the state’s two urban cores."

In wake of the historic victory, legal experts have weighed in with their reactions. Miriam Seifter —the co-director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison law school's State Democracy Research Initiative— explained why state courts have become even more critical in recent years.

"State courts are getting so much attention because they can—and often do—interpret their own state constitutions in ways that differ from federal constitutional doctrine," said Seifter.

"State constitutions typically contain more rights than the federal constitution, and they prioritize democracy," she added.

Speaking to Bolts, Christine Sinicki, a Democrat House representative for the city of Milwaukee, also weighed in with her perspective.

"I always said we have to hit rock bottom before people realize what's going on here, and I think we're there," Sinicki said last week. "If they can strip away our rights to control our own healthcare, what’s next?"

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