ZAC SCHULTZ FOR "HERE AND NOW."
>> LITERALLY LESS THAN 24 HOURS
AFTER JUSTICE PROTASIEWICZ TOOK
THE BENCH, A LIBERAL LEANING
FIRM FILED A LAWSUIT IN THE
WISCONSIN SUPREE COURT OVER THE
STATE'S CURRENT LEGISLATIVE
VOTING MAPS.
BOARD PRESIDENT OF LAW FORWARD,
JEFF MANDELL, BROUGHT THE
REDISTRICTING LITIGATION.
HE'S HERE NOW.
JEFF MANDELL, THANK YOU FOR
BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO YOU WASTED NO TIME IN
FILING THIS REDISTRICTING
LAWSUIT BEFORE THE WISCONSIN
SUPREME COURT NOW WITH ITS
BRAND-NEW LIBERAL MAJORITY, BUT
WHY GO THERE FIRST AND NOT A
LOWER COURT?
>> WELL, THERE'S REALLY NO TIME
TO WASTE.
THE ISSUE IS NOT HOW MANY DAYS
IN AUGUST.
THE ISSUE IS THAT FOR 12 YEARS,
THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN HAVE
BEEN LIVING UNDER THIS EXTREME
PARTISAN GERRYMANDER, AND EVERY
DAY THAT THE GERRYMANDER
CONTINUES TO DISTORT POLITICS
AND POLICY IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN IS AN AFFRONT TO OUR
CONSTITUTION AND A FRONT TO OUR
DEMOCRACY AND A VIOLATION OF THE
RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE OF
WISCONSIN.
SO WE WANT TO GET THIS
GERRYMANDER TAKEN DOWN AND FIXED
SO THAT WE CAN HAVE FAIR MAPS
AND A WORKABLE DEMOCRACY AFTER
THE 2024 ELECTION.
IF WE WANT THAT TO HAPPEN, WE
NEED THE COURT TO MOVE QUICKLY
AND HE NEED TO ASK IT QUICKLY.
>> WHAT ARE THE LEGAL PRONGS OF
YOUR SUIT?
>> THIS SUIT IS REALLY ABOUT THE
WISCONSIN EXECUTION CONSTITUTIOE
FACT THAT THE GERRYMANDER AND
THE CURRENT MAPS VIOLATE THE
WISCONSIN CONSTITUTION.
NO ONE HAS ASKED THESE QUESTIONS
BEFORE.
WE BELIEVE THAT THE EXTREME
PARTISPARTISAN GERRYMANDER WE HE
VIOLATES SEVERAL PROVISIONS OF
OUR STATE CONSTITUTION,
INCLUDING THE EQUAL PROTECTION
CLAUSE, THE RIGHT TO FREE
SPEECH, THE RIGHT TO FREE
ASSEMBLY, AND THE PRESERVATION
OF FREE GOVERNMENT CLAUSE THAT
IS IN ARTICLE 1, SECTION 22 OF
THE CONSTITUTION.
IN ADDITION, THERE ARE OTHER
PROBLEMS WITH OUR CURRENT MAPS,
INCLUDING THAT THEY FAIL TO MEET
EVEN THE BEDROCK REQUIREMENT IN
THE CONSTITUTION THAT THE
DISTRICTS BE CONTIGUOUS.
THAT IS THAT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO
LIVE WITHIN A DISTRICT AND HAVE
ONE REPRESENTATIVE ALL LIVE
WITHIN ONE BLOCK ON A MAP.
THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
AND, ON TOP OF IT, THE WAY THESE
MAPS WERE IMPOSED BOOT SUPREME
COURT LAST YEAR VIOLATES OUR
SEPARATION OF POWERS.
OF THE 99 ASSEMBLY DISTRICTS IN
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, 55 OF
THEM ARE NON-CONTIGUOUS, AND OF
THE 33 SENATE DISTRICTS, 21 ARE
NON-CONTIGUOUS.
RIGHT HERE IN THE MADISON AREA,
ASSEMBLY DISTRICTS 47, 77 AND 78
ALL HAVE CLEAR
NON-CONTIGUOUSITIES AND ISLANDS
OF TERRITORY FLOATING APART, BUT
IT'S NOT JUST HERE IN THE
MADISON AREA.
DISTRICT 88 IN THE GREEN BAY
AREA, DISTRICT 9 IN THE
EAU CLAIRE AREA, AND THOSE ARE
ALL JUST EXAMPLES.
AS I SAID, THE VAST MAJORITY OF
THEM ARE LIKE THIS.
>> HERE'S WHAT, SPEAKING OF THE
SENATE, HERE'S WHAT REPUBLICAN
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER DEVIN
L‘E‘MAY SAID ABOUT YOUR LAWSUIT.
HE SAID LIBERAL DEMOCRATS ARE
COUNTING ON JUDICIAL FIAT TO
HELP THEM GAIN POWER.
IT'S CLEAR LIBERAL INTEREST
GROUPS ARE COMING TO COLLECT
FROM JANET PROTASIEWICZ.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, LAWYERS HAVE
A SAYING THAT WHEN THE FACTS ARE
ON YOUR SIDE, YOU YELL ABOUT THE
FACTS.
WHEN THE LAW IS ON YOUR SIDE,
YOU YELL ABOUT THE LAW.
AND WHEN NOTHING IS ON YOUR
SIDE, YOU POUND THE TABLE.
IT SOUND LIKE A LOT OF POUNDING
OF THE TABLE.
WHAT WE DIDN'T HEAR IS ANYONE
COMING OUT AND TRY TO DEPE DEFEE
EXTREME GERRYMANDERING BECAUSE
IT IS SIMPLY INDEFENSIBLE.
>> FALSE ELECTORS FROM VERY
EARLY ON AFTER THE 2020
ELECTION, AND BEING CURRENTLY IN
COURT WITH YOUR OWN LAWSUIT ON
THIS, WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO
THE FEDERAL INDICTMENT AGAINST
DONALD TRUMP AS IT TREATS
FRAUDULENT ELECTORS IN
BATTLEGROUND STATES, INCLUDING
WISCONSIN?
>> I GUESS MY REACTION IS REALLY
THAT I WAS GRATIFIED TO SEE THE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE TAKING THE FRAUDULENT
ELECTOR SCHEME SO SERIOUSLY.
I DON'T HAVE STRONG FEELINGS
ABOUT -- AND I'M NOT A CRIMINAL
PROSECUTOR AND I TRUST THE
PROSECUTORS TO DO THEIR JOB SO I
DON'T HAVE STRONG FEELINGS OR
OPINIONS ABOUT THE DETAILS OF
THE INDICTMENT OR THE SPECIFIC
CHARGES AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP, BUT WHAT I TOOK
FROM IT, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN
LITIGATING THE FRAUDULENT
ELECTORS HERE IN WISCONSIN IS
JUST HOW SERIOUSLY THE UNITED
STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
TAKES THIS SCHEME AND HOW MUCH
THE INDICTMENT SHOWS THAT THIS
REALLY WAS A SERIOUS ATTACK UPON
AND THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY.
>> WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING IN THAT
LAWSUIT?
>> WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE SURE
THAT HAPPEN NONE OF THESE FOLKS
WHO ABUSE THE TRUST OF THEIR
NEIGHBOURS IN WISCONSIN, WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT 10 PEOPLE WHO
DECIDED THEY KNEW BETTER THAN
ALMOST 3.3 MILLION OF THEIR
NEIGHBOURS, AND EVEN THOUGH JOE
BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS HAD WON
THE FREE FAIR ELECTION IN THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN, THEY WERE
GOING TO DEDICATE THE VOTES.
THE ONLY REAL PARTICIPATION
CHOOSING THE NEXT PRESIDENT,
THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE THAT TO
DONALD TRUMP AND MIKE PENCE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
BECAUSE THEY ABUSED THE PUBLIC
TRUST THAT WAY, THEY NEVER HAVE
THE CHANCE TO SERVE AS ELECTORS