Author: Scott Bauer

Janet Protasiewicz’s win in high-stakes Supreme Court election flips Wisconsin’s judicial balance of power

A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge won the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race on April 4, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years with the fate of the state’s abortion ban on the line. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, 60, defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who previously worked for Republicans and had support from the state’s leading anti-abortion groups. It’s his second loss in a race for Supreme Court in three years. “I feel great. I could not feel better,” Protasiewicz told The Associated Press after her win. “I...

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Trump’s criminal indictment is not expected to affect high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race

The indictment of former President Donald Trump will likely have little impact on the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race to be decided next week, as Democrats try to flip majority control of the court with the fate of abortion access in the state on the line, those closely watching the contest. Trump has not been directly involved in the race, did not endorse anyone, and the Republican-backed candidate has tried to distance his connections with the former president and the GOP. Additionally, Trump’s support among Republicans appears to be waning in the battleground state that he barely won...

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Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse accused of purposefully evading attorneys in a civil lawsuit

Attorneys for a man shot and injured by Kyle Rittenhouse during a protest in 2020 are asking a federal judge to give them more time to serve Rittenhouse with a civil lawsuit, alleging that he is purposefully trying to evade them. Attorneys for Gaige Grosskreutz filed the request on February 22, the deadline that U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman had given them to serve the lawsuit on Rittenhouse and the other defendants. Grosskreutz added Rittenhouse as a defendant last week in the lawsuit that also targets the city of Kenosha and local officials. The lawsuit, originally filed in October...

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Wisconsin Republican breaks pledge on Congressional term limit with announcement to seek reelection

Republican U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman said on March 3 he will run for a sixth term next year representing east-central Wisconsin, despite promising when he first ran not to serve more than a decade in Congress. Grothman, 67, said in a telephone interview that he is campaigning and raising money for a sixth term. “That’s the plan right now,” Grothman said when asked if he was running again. “It’s not something we’ve thought a lot about. … I’ve talked to a lot of people over the past few months. Nobody has told me I shouldn’t run again.” He made...

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Fan the flames: Audio recording exposes Trump campaign staff’s work to promote 2020 election lies

A newly released audio recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at how former President Donald Trump’s campaign team in a pivotal battleground state knew they had been outflanked by Democrats in the 2020 presidential election. But even as they acknowledged defeat, they pivoted to allegations of widespread fraud that were ultimately debunked, repeatedly, by elections officials and the courts. The audio from November 5, 2020, two days after the election, is surfacing as Trump again seeks the White House while continuing to lie about the legitimacy of the outcome and Democrat Joe Biden’s win. The Wisconsin political operatives in the...

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Former Wisconsin governor Tony Earl dies after suffering a stroke at 86

Tony Earl, a Democrat who served one term as Wisconsin’s governor in the 1980s and later bemoaned the increasing partisanship in politics, has died. He was 86. Earl, a champion of gay rights and a staunch environmentalist, died on February 23 “peacefully surrounded by family,” his daughter Julia Earl said in a statement. Earl had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke earlier this week. “A formidable leader and public servant, trusted colleague and mentor, and a good and loyal friend, Tony was well-liked and respected by so many “A formidable leader and public servant, trusted colleague and mentor, and...

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