Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, who was supported by the Republican party, was reportedly defeated by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, who was backed by the Democratic party. Protasiewicz gained a critical seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The outcome of the race was called just after 9 o’clock on Tuesday evening.
The court will now be controlled for at least the next two years by justices of the progressive left, with a 4-3 majority.
During this period, it is anticipated that the court will reach a decision about a current lawsuit that challenges the state’s 1849 law prohibiting abortion.
In addition it is anticipated that the contest and its conclusion will have repercussions for a number of topics, including election procedures and the creation of districts for elected office in the state in advance of the presidential election in 2024.
In 2020, the previous court, which was dominated by conservatives and had a 4-3 majority on the bench, came within one vote of reversing President Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
Conservative analyst Greg Price lamented the outcome on Twitter, noting that the Democratic victory will likely have devastating consequences for conservatives going forward:
Wisconsin now has a Supreme Court that is going to strike down voter ID and bring back ballot harvesting before 2024. It was the most important election of the year and conservatives allowed themselves to get heavily outspent and didn't even notice until it was too late.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 5, 2023
The contest for the Supreme Court of Wisconsin was the most costly in the history of the United States, reaching $42 million and nearly double the previous national record for a court race in the United States.
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