Staff Reports
Conservative lawmakers and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty are exerting pressure on Democratic justice, Janet Protasiewicz, to recuse herself from the state’s redistricting trial. The call for her recusal is based on her previous comments regarding the current districts and the financial support she received from the Democratic Party during her campaign.
Conservatives argue that Protasiewicz’s past statements during her campaign, where she criticized the current congressional map as "rigged" by Republicans and advocated for a review, raise concerns about her impartiality in the redistricting trial. They contend that her prior remarks have created doubt about her ability to make fair and unbiased decisions in the case.
Do as I say, not as I do.https://t.co/X57AkXM6XA
— ElectionNotes (@ElectionNotes) January 31, 2024
Notable conservative lawmakers, including Reps. Bryan Steil, Mike Gallagher, Glenn Grothman, Tom Tiffany, and Scott Fitzgerald, are standing firm in their demand for Protasiewicz’s recusal. They maintain that the 2022 ruling that established the current map was just and aligned with the "least change" precedent, asserting that any attempt to revisit it would be procedurally improper and legally erroneous.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, supported by Deputy Counsel Lucas Vebber, emphasizes that the current congressional map was proposed by Governor Evers and approved by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2022. They argue that altering Wisconsin’s Congressional districts again would violate legal precedent and disrupt the fair process that led to the existing map.
The conservative position is clear: they believe that Protasiewicz’s previous comments and affiliations with the Democratic Party raise substantial concerns about her capacity to approach the redistricting trial with the necessary objectivity and adherence to the law. They are resolute in their call for her recusal, intending to hold her accountable for ensuring a fair and lawful process in the state’s redistricting endeavors.
