On Thursday, February 8, 2024, the Washington Examiner reported that the Wisconsin Republican Party had called for a Democratic state Supreme Court justice to recuse herself from an upcoming redistricting case.
Justice Janet Protasiewicz was elected to the court last year and during her campaign she had called the state’s legislative maps “unfair” and “rigged.” Now, a new challenge to the state’s congressional maps was brought forward by Marc Elias and his law firm Elias Law Group on behalf of several Wisconsin voters. However, given Justice Protasiewicz’s prior statements against the maps, the Wisconsin GOP argues she has a conflict of interest and should not rule on this case.
Chairman Brian Schimming of the Wisconsin Republican Party said Justice Protasiewicz’s comments essentially prejudged the case. He noted it would be unprecedented in his decades of watching the court for a judicial candidate to speak to such a degree about an issue likely to come before them. Schimming said her failure to recuse would show she was “bought and paid for by liberal special interests.”
The report outlines that Elias Law Group received over $680,000 in 2023 from several groups that had endorsed Justice Protasiewicz’s campaign, including Emily’s List and groups tied to outside spending organization Family Friendly Action PAC. Justice Protasiewicz had also previously said she would likely recuse from any cases involving the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which spent heavily in support of her election.
National Republican groups have also called for Justice Protasiewicz to recuse, with a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee questioning whether she would do so. Meanwhile, the new redistricting challenge brought by Elias faces a decision deadline of March 15th from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. However, Republicans argue Justice Protasiewicz’s prior comments have already disqualified her from impartially ruling on this case due to her perceived bias against the current legislative maps.
Source: Washington Examiner
