MARK COPELOVITCH, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
WISCONSIN CONTINUES TO BE AT THE
EPICENTER OF ELECTORAL POLITICS.
THE U.S. SUPREME COURT WEIGHING
IN ON OUR VOTING MAPS, AND
DONALD TRUMP WEIGHING IN ON THE
INTRACTABLE MICHAEL GABLEMAN
INVESTIGATION.
IT'S ANOTHER DAY AT THE CAPITOL.
THAT'S WHERE WISCONSIN PUBLIC
RADIO CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF,
SHAWN JOHNSON IS.
HE JOINS US NOW.
HI, SHAWN.
>> HI FREDERICA.
>> SO LEGISLATIVE REPUBLICANS
WANT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO
TAKE THE CASE WHERE THE STATE
HIGH COURT CHANGED THE EVERS
MAPS.
WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THAT
REQUEST TO THE U.S. SUPREME
COURT AND THE STAY THAT THE
REPUBLICANS ASKED FOR?
>> THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TOLD
EVERYBODY, FILE RESPONSES TO
THIS BY FRIDAY, MARCH 11TH, AND
THAT'S ALL WE KNOW AT THIS
POINT.
THE U.S. SUPREME COURT GAVE A
DEADLINE OF NEXT TUESDAY FOR
ANOTHER CHALLENGE OF THE STATE'S
CONGRESSIONAL MAP THAT WAS
BROUGHT BY REPUBLICANS.
SO WE'RE KIND OF WAITING TO SEE
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
IT'S THE U.S. SUPREME COURT,
THEY SET THEIR OWN TIME LINES
ALTHOUGH WE DO HAVE
ELECTION-RELATED TIME LINES
COMING UP IN WISCONSIN, NAMELY
THE APRIL 15TH DATE WHEN
CANDIDATES BEGIN CIRCULATING
NOMINATION PETITIONS.
>> COMING RIGHT UP.
BUT WHAT'S YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF
THE LIKELIHOOD FOR THE U.S.
SUPREME COURT TO TAKE THE CASE
AT ALL?
>> SO THEY COULD, BUT MY
UNDERSTANDING IS IT'S LIKELY
THAT THEY'LL LEAVE THE MAP
ALONE.
IT'S A STATE MAP DECIDED BY THE
STATE'S HIGHEST COURT, AND SO
THAT'S ONE ARGUMENT THAT WOULD
LEAVE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO
JUST KIND OF STAY OUT OF THIS.
BUT THEY MIGHT, ON THE GROUNDS
OF THEY WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN
A VOTING RIGHTS ACT CHALLENGE.
IT'S UP TO THE SUPREME COURT TO
DECIDE WHICH CASES IT TAKES.
THEY'RE ALREADY GETTING INVOLVED
IN REDISTRICTING CASE OUT OF
ALABAMA, RELATED TO HOW
REDISTRICTING AND THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACT, YOU KNOW, WORK
TOGETHER, AND SO IT COULD BE
THAT THE COURT WILL HEAR
WISCONSIN'S CASE EVENTUALLY.
I GUESS THE IMMEDIATE QUESTION
IS WHETHER THEY DECIDE TO TAKE
IT RIGHT AWAY AND TOSS OUT
WISCONSIN'S MAP.
>> RIGHT, THAT IS THE QUESTION,
LIKE WHICH MAPS MIGHT BE IN
PLACE FOR THIS YEAR'S ELECTIONS.
>> IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A
DESEPTEMBER CHANCDECENT CHANCE D
HAVE WISCONSIN'S MAP EMBRACED BY
THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT AS
DRAWN BY TONY EVERS UNDER THESE
LEAST CHANGES GUIDELINES IN
PLACE FOR 2022, EVEN IF THE U.S.
SUPREME COURT DECIDES TO HEAR
THIS CHALLENGE.
BUT YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE COURT
SO THEY CAN DECIDE.
>> RIGHT.
THEY ARE THE BIG ONES.
THEY GET TO DECIDE.
MEANWHILE, ASSEMBLY SPEAKER
ROBIN VOS THIS WEEK EXTENDED
MICHAEL GABLEMAN'S CONTRACT TO
CONTINUE INVESTIGATING THE 2020
ELECTION, TO WHICH FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP RESPONDED,
SAYING, QUOTE, IN ADDITION TO
ANNOUNCING THEY WILL STAY IN
SESSION AND TAKE ACTION TO GET
RID OF ERIC AND THE WISCONSIN
ELECTIONS COMMISSION, I WOULD
IMAGINE THAT THERE CAN ONLY BE,
HE SAID, A DECERTIFICATION OF
ELECTORS.
SO MY QUESTION IS, REALLY?
WHAT DID VOS SAY ABOUT ALL OF
THAT?
>> SO THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK IN
THAT STATEMENT.
THERE ARE FOUR ASSERTIONS IN
THERE THAT ARE EITHER FALSE OR
THEY NEED CLARIFICATION.
ONE, THIS IDEA OF
DECERTIFICATION IS THE BIG ONE.
AND THERE IS -- FOR ONE, THERE'S
NOT SUPPORT IN THE EXISTING
LEGISLATURE TO DO THAT, WHICH IS
TO BASICALLY ERASE WISCONSIN'S
ELECTION RESULTS FOR THE 2020
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
ALSO, THE LEGISLATURE'S
NON-PARTISAN ATTORNEY SAYING
IT'S NOT LEGALLY POSSIBLE, WHICH
IS A VIEW THAT'S WIDELY HELD IN
THE ELECTION LAW COMMUNITY.
IF YOU GO THROUGH THE REST OF
THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S
STATEMENT, AS FAR AS WE KNOW,
THE LEGISLATURE HELD ITS LAST
SESSION DAY OF THE YEAR THIS
WEEK.
THEY CAN ALWAYS COME BACK,
THEY'RE THE LEGISLATURE, BUT
THEY'RE NOT PLANNING ON IT.
AND AS FAR AS ERIC, THE
ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION
INFORMATION CENTER, A
MULTI-STATE DATABASE OF
GOVERNMENT RECORDS, THAT IS
SOMETHING THAT WAS INITIATED BY
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS UNDER
FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCOTT
WALKER.
THEY HAVE NOT TALKED ABOUT
ENDING IT.
REPUBLICAN CANNED T CANDIDATES R
GOVERNOR HAVE TALKED ABOUT
GETTING RID OF THE WISCONSIN
ELECTIONS COMMISSION SO THAT'S
SOMETHING THAT COULD HAPPEN BUT
IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN THIS
YEAR.
GOP LEADERS SAID THEY DON'T WANT
TO DO THAT, GOVERNOR TONY EVERS
DEFINITELY DOESN'T WANT TO DO
IT.
>> SO FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP MAY
BE JUST A LITTLE BIT BEHIND IN
HIS INFORMATION.
BUT I WANTED TO GET TO THIS,
TOO, QUICKLY.
THIS WEEK, GOVERNOR EVERS'
SPECIAL SESSION TO GIVE TAX
REFUNDS AND BOOST SCHOOL FUNDING
WENT EXACTLY WHERE?
>> IT WENT EXACTLY WHERE MANY
EVERS SPECIAL SESSIONS HAVE
GONE, WHICH IS, GAVELED IN,
GAVELED OUT AND DONE.
WHEN YOU'RE THE GOVERNOR, YOU
CAN CALL A SPECIAL SESSION OF
THE LEGISLATURE, BUT WHAT THAT
MEANS OFTEN ISN'T A LOT.
GOP LAWMAKERS BASICALLY
OFFICIALLY OPENED THE SESSION,
OFFICIALLY CLOSED IT, AND NOW
IT'S AN ISSUE FOR CAMPAIGN
SEASON, WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO
HAVE THE GOVERNOR SAYING, HEY, I
WANT TO GIVE YOU THESE $150 TAX
REBATES, ONLY ONES STANDING IN
THE WAY ARE REPUBLICAN
LAWMAKERS.
OF COURSE FOUR YEARS AGO, IT WAS
A DIFFERENT STORY WHEN THERE WAS
A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR.
THEY DID APPROVE CHILD TAX
REBATES, BUT THEY'RE NOT GOING
TO DO IT THIS YEAR.
>> THEY'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND
DO THAT AFTER THE ELECTION.
>> THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO IT --
SOMETHING WITH A GOVERNOR FROM A
DIFFERENT PARTY, BUT YOU KNOW,
THAT DEFINITELY REMAINS TO BE
SEEN IN THIS NOVEMBER'S
ELECTION.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SHAWN JOHNSON, WE'LL LEAVE IT
THERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE
ROUNDUP AND THE REALTIME FACT