MAJORITY ON THE WISCONSIN
SUPREME COURT.
>> THE RESULTS OF THIS ELECTION
UPSET THE 15-YEAR CONSERVATIVE
BALANCE OF POWER ON THE COURT.
ZAC SCHULTZ JOINS US FROM
OUTSIDE THE SUPREME COURT
CHAMBERS NOW AT THE STATE
CAPITOL.
HI, ZAC.
>> HELLO, FRED.
>> SO THIS RACE SET A LOT OF
RECORDS.
WHAT EXPLAINS THE HUGE WIN FOR
PROTASIEWICZ?
>> WELL, I THINK YOU HAVE TO
LOOK AT A NUMBER OF ISSUES, BUT
CAMPAIGNS COME DOWN TO THE
QUALITY OF THE CAMPAIGN.
PROTASIEWICZ GOT OUT EARLY,
RAISED A TO HAVE BEEN MONEY AND
SPENT A LOT OF MONEY AND YOU
HAVE TO LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF
THE CANDIDATES.
DAN KELLY HAS RUN AND LOST
BEFORE.
THERE WERE A LOT OF NEGATIVES
ASSOCIATED WITH HIM AND THEN YOU
HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SALIENT
ISSUES, AND CLEARLY ABORTION WAS
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES
THAT PEOPLE WERE CONNECTING TO
THIS CAMPAIGN AND PROTASIEWICZ
RAN ON THAT ISSUE.
AND I THINK ALL THREE OF THOSE
MERGED TOGETHER FOR THE MARGIN
OF VICTORY THAT WE SAW ON
TUESDAY.
>> WHERE DID SHE MAKE GAINS AND
KELLY TAKE LOSSES THAT WERE
DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ELECTIONS?
>> WELL, CERTAINLY YOU FIRST
HAVE TO LOOK TO THE WOW
COUNTIES, THE WAUKESHA AND OTHER
COUNTIES, THOSE SUBURBAN
COUNTIES OUTSIDE OF MILWAUKEE.
FOR DECADES, THOSE HAVE BEEN
REPUBLICAN STRONGHOLDS, WHERE
GIVING SCOTT WALKER OVERWHELMING
MAJORITIES KIND OF COUNTERING
OUT THE LIBERAL STRONGHOLDS AND
KIND OF LEAVING MOST ELECTIONS
UP TO THE REST OF THE STATE.
WE'VE SEEN THE EROSION AT THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY SINCE THE TOP
OF THE BALLOT SINCE DONALD TRUMP
CAME INTO OFFICE, SINCE THOSE
ARE PACKED WITH EDUCATED WOMEN
AND ISSUES LIKE ABORTION HAVE
BECOME MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT,
ESPECIALLY WITH THE DOBBS RULING
OVERTURNING ROE VERSUS WADE,
DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN CAMPAIGNING
ON THAT AND WE'RE SEEING
CONTINUALLY SLIPPAGE OF WHAT
WERE ONCE VERY STRONG REPUBLICAN
STRONGHOLDS NOW BECOMING UP FOR
GRABS OR AT LEAST NOT SO MUCH OF
A BLOW-OUT FOR REPUBLICANS.
BUT IF YOU LOOK PAST THAT AND
YOU GET OUTSIDE OF THE SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN, YOU CAN LOOK TO THE
FOX VALLEY.
PROTASIEWICZ DID REALLY WELL IN
BROWN AND ALLEGHENY, THE BOW
COUNTIES THAT ARE IN THAT NEXT
CLASS OF COUNTIES, AND THEN SHE
EVEN DID WELL IN SOUTHWESTERN
WISCONSIN.
WHEN DEMOCRATS DO WELL THERE,
THEY WIN STATEWIDE.
THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE SEEN WITH
PRIOR LIBERAL WINS FOR THE
SUPREME COURT AND WITH TAMMY
BALDWIN HAS HAD BIG VICTORIES IN
HER SENATE RACES.
SHE'S DONE WELL IN THOSE PARTS
OF THE STATE AS WELL.
>> WITH THE BIG ISSUES, AS YOU
SAID, ABORTION AND
REDISTRICTING, HOW SOON ARE SUCH
CASES EXPECT TO FIND THEIR WAY
TO THE SUPREME COURT?
>> WOH WELL, FOR ABORTION, THAT
ISSUE IS AT A LOWER COURT
ALREADY.
WE'VE SEEN THE EVERS
ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER
LAWSUITS AND THEY'VE BEEN SLOW
PLAYING THAT.
THEY DIDN'T WANT THAT ISSUE TO
GET UP TO THE COURT TOO FAST
BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T RULE IN
THE WAY THEY HOPED THEY WOULD,
AND SO NOW MAYBE THAT LAWSUIT
PICKS UP STEAM, PERHAPS EVEN GET
REACHED DOWN AND PICKED RIGHT UP
TO THE SUPREME COURT ONCE THE
NEW MAJORITY IS IN THERE IN
AUGUST.
PROTASIEWICZ DOESN'T TAKE THE
SEAT ON THE BENCH BEHIND ME
UNTIL THEN, SO YOU'LL SEE THOSE
START TO PERCOLATE THROUGHOUT
THE SUMMER AND DEFINITELY INTO
THE FALL.
AS FOR REDISTRICTING, WE'VE
ALREADY HEARD REPORTS OF SOME OF
THE LIBERAL LAW FIRMS STARTING
TO PUT THEIR CASE TOGETHER FOR
THEIR REASONS WHY THEY BELIEVE
THAT IT'S AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL
GERRYMANDER.
WE SAW THE BLUEPRINT FOR ONE
POSSIBLE OVERTURNING
REDISTRICTING IN THE LIBERAL
DESCENT TO THE REDISTRICTING
CASE LAST YEAR IN WHICH THE TIME
THREE LIBERALS ON THE COURT SAID
THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT THERE
COULD BE A TRIAL HELD AND THE
RESPONSE TO THE U.S. SUPREME
COURT'S RULING ON WISCONSIN'S
MATH.
SO EXPECT THOSE TO BE HAPPENING
GOING FORWARD.
DEFINITELY THROUGH THIS FALL
INTO THE WINTER.
FOR REDISTRICTING, THERE'S AN
ELECTION IN 2024.
THOSE MAPS NEED TO BE IN PLACE
BY THE SPRING SO THERE'S NOT A
TON OF TIME FOR THESE BIG ISSUES
TO COME BEFORE THE COURT AND
THEN GET SETTLED.
>> THERE ARE OTHER SUPREME COURT
ELECTIONS IN THE OFFING, NAMELY
IN 2025, WHEN THE TERM OF
LIBERAL JUSTICE ANN WALSH BRADLY
IS UP.
>> ABSOLUTELY GOING TO RUN
AGAIN.
I DO HAVE, BY THE WAY, I DO HAVE
AN IDEA, AND IT IS, YES, AFTER
TONIGHT'S PERFORMANCE AND SEEING
THE ENERGY IN THIS ROOM, I'M NOT
ONLY GOING TO RUN, I'M GOING TO
WIN.
>> SO LIBERALS FEEL LIKE THEY
ARE ON A NEW ROLL NOW.
IS THAT FAIR?
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.
YOU LOOK AT THE PAST FEW
ELECTIONS FOR THE SUPREME COURT,
ASIDE FROM 2019, WHERE THAT WAS
EXPECTED TO BE A LIBERAL WIN AND
JUSTICE HAGEDORN WON BY JUST A
FEW THOUSAND VOTES, LIBERALS
HAVE BEEN WINNING BY LARGE
MARGINS, 10-POINT MARGINS FOR
THE LAST FEW RACES OUTSIDE OF
THAT PARTICULAR ONE AND WE HAVE
TO POINT OUT THAT NO PERSON EVER
ELECTED TO THE SUPREME COURT HAS
GONE AND LOST A RE-ELECTION.
THE ONLY TIME THAT A SITTING
MEMBER HAS BEEN DEFEATED IN A
RE-ELECTION IS WHEN THEY WERE
APPOINTED.
THAT HAPPENED TO JUSTICE KELLY
AND THAT HAPPENED TO LEWIS
BUTLER BACK IN 2009, SO THE
HISTORY OF ELECTED OFFICIALS IS
QUITE STRONG WHEN IT COMES TO
LOOKING FORWARD TO 2025, WHICH
IS WHEN ANN WALSH BRADLY WOULD
BE ON THE BALLOT AGAIN.
>> A PROCESS QUESTION.
AT THIS POINT, DOES ANN WALSH
BRADLY DEFACTO BECOME CHIEF
JUSTICE?
>> NO, SHE DOES NOT.
ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT THAT WAS PASSED BY
REPUBLICANS AND APPROVED BY
VOTERS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO,
THE SUPREME COURT GETS TO ELECT
THEIR OWN CHIEF JUSTICE.
RIGHT NOW THAT IS CONSERVATIVE
ANNETTE ZIEGLER AND SHE WAS JUST
RE-ELECTED RECENTLY.
HOW MUCH, THE SUPREME COURT GETS
TO MAKE THEIR OWN RULES SO WHEN
JANET PROTASIEWICZ BECOMES
JUSTICE PROTASIEWICZ THIS
SUMMER, THEY WILL HAVE A
MAJORITY AND THEY COULD DECIDE
THEY WANT TO TAKE A VOTE ON WHO
THE CHIEF JUSTICE IS AT THAT
TIME AND YOU WOULD EXPECT IF
THAT HAPPENS, THAT IT WOULD BE
ANN WALSH BRADLY WHO WOULD
BECOME THE CHIEF AND THAT WILL
BE UP TO THE COURT AT THAT TIME,
IS THEY GET TO SET THEIR OWN
RULES AND QUITE HONESTLY,
THERE'S NO ONE ELSE TO APPEAL
TO.
THEY ARE THE SUPREME COURT.
>> INDEED.
SO HAVING REPORTED ON THIS AS
WELL, ZAC, YOU KNOW THAT ANOTHER
BIG ELECTION TUESDAY WAS FOR THE
STATE SENATE EIGHTH DISTRICT
WITH A ON THE LINE N. A CLOSE
RACE, DAN KOANDLE STOPPED JODI
HAY BISHOP SINYKIN.
NOW, THE SUPERMAJORITY ALLOWS
THE SENATE TO IMPEACH PUBLIC
OFFICIALS.
DAN KNODLE SPOKE TO THAT
OPPORTUNITY.
>> I REALLY COULD INVOLVE ANY
OFFICIAL, PARTICULARLY ELECTED
OFFICIALS, OUR GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS AS WELL, SO I WOULD
THINK IT'S -- I VIEW IT
INITIALLY AS ALL ENCOMPASSING.
>> SO DAN KNODLE SEEMS ALL IN ON
IMPEACHING PEOPLE, BUT HOW
SERIOUS IS THE REPUBLICAN
MAJORITY ABOUT THOSE NEW POWERS?
>> WELL, THEY HAVE YET TO BE
TESTED.
THIS HAS NOT BEEN A REALITY IN
THE MODERN ERA OF WISCONSIN
POLITICS.
DAN KNODLE WAS CAMPAIGNING AT
THAT TIME.
HE WANTED THAT ISSUE TO BE
SALIENT FOR THE VOTERS IN HIS
AREA IS WHY HE SHOULD BE
ELECTED.
THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THAT
WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN.
THAT IS A BIG PROCESS.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING TO BE TAKEN
LIGHTLY.
EVEN THOUGH REPUBLICANS HAVE 22
MEMBERS, THAT IS A HUGE MAJORITY
AND NOT EVERY ONE OF THOSE
MEMBERS SEEM TO BE ON BOARD AT
THIS TIME.
WE'VE HEARD FROM SENATE MAJORITY
LEADER SAY IMPEACHING PEOPLE AND
THE WHOLE PROCESS RIGHT NOW IS
UNCERTAIN LEGALLY.
SOME OF THOSE TERMS AREN'T
DEFINED, WHICH WOULD SEEM TO BE
LEANING BACK TO THE COURTS
GETTING INVOLVED IF THEY WANTED
TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS FOR
ANYBODY.
>> SO IT COULD SPELL TROUBLE.
THEY WENT AHEAD WITH THAT.
ZAC SCHULTZ, THANKS VERY MUCH