Trump's biggest loss this week was in Wisconsin, not New York

Christian Datoc

April 06, 05:15 AM April 06, 05:15 AM

Former President Donald Trump was arraigned in New York on Tuesday on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, but the largest blow to his hopes of reclaiming the White House might have occurred nearly 1,000 miles away in Wisconsin, where liberals secured a majority on the state's Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years.

Hours after Trump became the first American president to face felony charges, Judge Janet Protasiewicz claimed victory over former Justice Dan Kelly, a major Trump supporter and one of the Wisconsin Republicans central to the former president's attempts to throw out the results of the 2020 general election.

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Kelly, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by former Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker in 2016 to replace retiring Justice David Prosser, announced in 2019 his intent to run for a full 10-year term but eventually lost in the April 2020 Supreme Court general election. Following that defeat, Kelly joined the Institute for Reforming Government, a conservative nonprofit group, and served as legal counsel to Wisconsin Republicans' efforts to aid Trump in decertifying President Joe Biden's general election victory.

Wisconsin represented one of the seven states where the Trump legal team and allies launched legal efforts to block the certification of Biden's win, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which at the time was controlled by conservatives, eventually voted 4-3 in December of 2020 to deny Trump's challenge. Conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn sided with the liberals on the court to cast the deciding vote.

This election, Protasiewicz and Democratic allies spent more than $23 million tying Kelly to Trump's failed attempts to overturn the 2020 results. Democratic officials told the Washington Examiner that it's "critical" for the party to win down-ballot elections "so that ultra-MAGA local politicians can't move to pull a 2020 in 2024."

As of Wednesday morning, Kelly trailed Protasiewicz by 10 points with 95% of all votes counted, and he lashed out at his opponent in a Trumpian concession speech Tuesday night.

"I wish that in a circumstance like this, I would be able to concede to a worthy opponent, but I do not have a worthy opponent to which I can concede," he said. "This was the most deeply deceitful, dishonorable, despicable campaign that I have ever seen run for the courts."

Still, there is a chance that Protasiewicz could be impeached and removed from the court by the Republican supermajority in the state senate, which was also solidified Tuesday night after former state GOP Rep. Dan Knodl defeated attorney Jodi Habush Sinykin in the special election to fill the 8th District seat.

Knodl previously hinted at plans to bring an impeachment vote to the floor should Protasiewicz best Kelly, but If Protasiewicz is removed from the bench, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, would then appoint someone to fill the hole.

Though Trumpworld officials have argued that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "witch hunt" case would help secure him the 2024 Republican nomination, Wisconsin politicos doubted the impact the indictment would have on the Supreme Court election.

"While this [indictment] may get the juice flowing with some of his supporters, some may have a head shake and shoulder shrug," former state GOP leader Brandon Scholz suggested before Tuesday's race was called. "This indictment thing isn’t really tied into this race. It is a Trump issue."

"We’re focused on winning a critical election in four days that will have long-term consequences for millions of Wisconsinites when it comes to issues like reproductive rights and the strength of our democracy," he said in a statement. "We know voters are focused on this race because it’s an opportunity to return fairness and impartiality to the Wisconsin Supreme Court."

Protasiewicz campaign spokesman Sam Roecker also predicted that voters wouldn't "be distracted by what’s happening in New York."

Trump himself criticized Kelly on Wednesday, claiming on his social media site, Truth Social, that the former justice would have won had he sought an endorsement from the former president.

"Daniel Kelly of Wisconsin just lost his Supreme Court Election. He bragged that he won’t seek Trump’s Endorsement, so I didn’t give it—which guaranteed his loss," he wrote. "How foolish is a man that doesn’t seek an Endorsement that would have won him the Election?"

Trump did endorse Kelly during the 2020 Supreme Court election, which saw him falling to Justice Jill Karofsky by more than 10 points.

The turnout from Tuesday's contest also portends a poor showing for Trump in the state should he be the GOP nominee in 2024.

On Tuesday, 1.84 million Wisconsin voters took part in the Supreme Court election, roughly 800,000 fewer participants than the 2022 midterm election but still the highest mark for a Supreme Court election in a nonpresidential election year since 2008. The liberal-leaning Milwaukee and Madison metropolitan areas accounted for 26% of all votes cast Tuesday, up 4 points from the November 2022 midterm elections, which saw Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) hold off progressive challenger Mandela Barnes.

Three Trump associates admitted to the Washington Examiner that Tuesday's results make Trump's path back to the White House more difficult.

"Wisconsin is a critical swing state," one person said. "If the turnout is similar in November 2024, I don't think any Republican could win there."

Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by roughly 20,000 votes after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton failed to hold a single campaign event in the state, but he lost the state in 2020 by a similar margin.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre chalked up Tuesday's results to Wisconsin voters prioritizing reproductive rights, with the court expected to hear an abortion case this spring. The new liberal majority all but guarantees the court will overturn a 19th-century abortion ban that was reinstated following 2022's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling.

"Time and time again, the American people have shown their resolute support for reproductive freedom in our democracy, and last night was no different," Jean-Pierre told reporters at Wednesday's White House briefing. "The message from voters has been clear. Americans want the freedom to make reproductive healthcare decisions without government interference. They have been very clear about that."

"We believe that it is important for Americans to have their freedom, including their right to make a decision, and women to have the right to make a decision on their own on their own healthcare, and so the this is the this is an administration that's going to continue to fight for a fight for those freedoms," she concluded.

SEE IT: Kyle Rittenhouse raises $40K toward legal defense fund for Kenosha civil suits

Julia Johnson

December 25, 04:00 PM December 25, 04:31 PM

Kyle Rittenhouse thanked his followers on Christmas Eve for donating to his legal defense fund against civil action suits stemming from the 2020 incident in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in which he shot three men, killing two.

The 19-year-old was acquitted of all charges in last year's shooting deaths. "Today’s verdict means there is no accountability for the person who murdered our son," the family of Anthony Huber, one of the men killed by Rittenhouse, said at the time. "It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street."

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A lawsuit filed by the Hubers in 2021 named Rittenhouse as a defendant alongside Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, former City of Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis, acting Police Chief Eric Larsen, and various unnamed officers and deputies.

Since the suit was filed, the teenager launched a fundraiser for his defense. Rittenhouse's campaign on GiveSendGo has raised more than $40,000 so far, with a goal of $150,000. He specifies on the website that the money is set to be used for "mounting legal fees."

"Kyle Rittenhouse was found NOT GUILTY by a jury of his peers," the fundraiser reminds readers. "The unanimous verdict did not prevent Kyle from being added as a defendant in an erroneous civil lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin against nine Wisconsin police departments, including ten city and county governments. The Plaintiff, John Huber, is represented by a Chicago-based, incredibly well-capitalized, Democrat Party-aligned law firm specializing in police misconduct and civil rights cases."

The suit alleges that law enforcement was aware of private citizens planning illegal behavior and did nothing to stop it. It further claims that they would have intervened were Rittenhouse a black man. According to the complaint, all of the armed private citizens were white.

In failing to intervene, the suit says law enforcement deprived Huber of his 14th Amendment right to equal protection and infringed on his First Amendment right by subjecting him and others to "discriminatory and retaliatory treatment."

10-year-old shoots and kills mother over virtual reality headset

Jenny Goldsberry

December 01, 02:41 PM December 01, 02:41 PM

A 10-year-old boy is in a Wisconsin juvenile detention center on allegations he shot and killed his mother because he wanted a virtual reality headset.

Children's Court Judge Marshall B. Murray is holding the unidentified boy under a $50,000 bond on charges of first-degree reckless homicide. He is being charged as an adult, which is in accordance with state law when it comes to crimes of this degree.

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The boy admitted to police that he retrieved the gun from his mother's bedroom and shot her on accident on Nov. 21, according to the criminal complaint. His 26-year-old sister called the police and the next day more family members would alert officers that he didn't appear to show remorse and claimed to have shot her on purpose. They also discovered that the next day he used his mother's Amazon account to buy an Oculus Virtual Reality headset.

His family also reported to police that he has a violent past that included hurting the family's pet dog and setting the furniture on fire with a balloon he filled with explosive liquid. While the gun he eventually retrieved was in a lockbox, family members confirmed that the boy had the keys to it.

"This is an absolute family tragedy," the boy's lawyer, Angela Cunningham, told a local outlet. "I don’t think anybody would deny or disagree with that."

Milwaukee Police Department reported 194 murders in 2021, with the state reporting that over 91% of murders involved a firearm, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Judge in Waukesha Christmas parade killer trial to run for Wisconsin Supreme Court

Julia Johnson

November 29, 04:38 PM November 29, 04:38 PM

Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow, who presided over the trial for Christmas parade killer Darrell Brooks, will run for Wisconsin's Supreme Court in the spring.

Earlier this month, Dorow sentenced Brooks to six terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of extended supervision for the six people whose deaths he is responsible for. After pleading not guilty to 77 counts for his actions during the Waukesha Christmas parade in November 2021, a jury found Brooks guilty of every criminal charge brought against him, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide.

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The tragedy gained national attention when it occurred, and Brooks's behavior during his trial a year later kept the case in the headlines and allowed it to gain notoriety on both TikTok and Twitter. Dorow also gained fame during the trial for how she dealt with Brooks's misbehavior.

Dorow's family confirmed her intentions to run for Supreme Court with a local television station.

"It’s been so overwhelming to receive so much support and encouragement to consider running for the state Supreme Court,” the judge said.

An appointee of then-Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) in 2011, Dorow is expected to be a conservative candidate. She would be running to replace retiring conservative Justice Pat Roggensack. Several others are vying for the position, including conservative former Justice Daniel Kelly as well as Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell and Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, who would both be liberal justices.

They will all face off in a February primary, wherein the two who receive the most votes will advance to the April general election.

Asked about competing with conservative Kelly, she said, "When you look generally at elections, I think it’s not a bad thing to have options and to have healthy, vigorous debate among candidates."

Democratic Rep. Hebl pushes for a lot more college funding in again-to-university instructor shortages

Benjamin Yount / The Centre Square contributor

August 18, 09:05 AM August 18, 09:05 AM

(The Middle Sq.) – A single of Wisconsin’s outgoing lawmakers is applying the back again-to-faculty hurry to force lawmakers to pay back instructors extra.

Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sunlight Prairie, on Wednesday introduced his final back-to-college op-ed in which he claims lawmakers ought to do much more.

“Education is the foundation on which Wisconsin can remedy any issue that confronts us. We require a perfectly-educated workforce, irrespective of whether that training is in science, liberal arts, or the trades,” Hebl wrote. “We have to sufficiently devote in our faculties if we are to keep a large-high quality general public faculty program.”

His opinions come as schools throughout Wisconsin claim they're in the midst of a trainer lack.

Milwaukee Public College leaders on Tuesday stated they are 230 lecturers short for the new college yr. Madison Metropolitan School leaders mentioned previous thirty day period they have additional than 100 openings, and university districts as tiny as Manitowoc say they are resorting to signing bonuses to check out and fill their open up slots.

“If we persistently underfund our universities, qualified instructors will come across other fields of work, valuable academic programming will be removed, the quality of schooling will ultimately put up with, and our youngsters and our economic climate will pay out the price tag,” Hebl included.

But Wisconsin colleges have found a document quantity of funds about the previous two years.

The federal government has sent Wisconsin $2.4 billion in coronavirus stimulus funds since the outbreak commenced in 2020. Governor Evers also expended thousands and thousands from his coronavirus stimulus stash on general public educational institutions.

Quite a few college districts across the state this spring approved condition-utmost raises for the teachers heading into the new school yr.

College boards in Milwaukee, West Allis-West Milwaukee universities, Kenosha, Oshkosh, Eco-friendly Bay, and Eau Claire have all agreed to give their instructors 4.7% raises, the optimum authorized by Wisconsin’s Act-10 law.

Hebl did not point out that in his column.

Wisconsin is not alone in trainer shortages in selected topics these kinds of as mathematics, science, and exclusive training as more mature instructors leave or retire.

Faculty begins for most children in Wisconsin in the 1st 7 days of September.

Wisconsin 2020 election investigator requested to pay out $163K in fees around documents snafu

Ryan King

August 01, 10:56 PM August 01, 10:56 PM

Wisconsin's Place of work of Specific Counsel overseeing the state's 2020 election inquiry was requested to foot the $163,000 invoice in attorney's costs and other costs for an open data scenario involving the investigation.

Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington ordered the office environment on Monday to pay back the service fees to watchdog team American Oversight, which experienced been battling the OSC for data for months, pushing the complete rate tag to taxpayers for the inquiry higher than $1.1 million, in accordance to Madison.com. Ultimately, taxpayers will be the ones masking the prices.

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"The place of work dependable for Wisconsin’s partisan election evaluate has deleted information that really don't go well with the untrue election-fraud narrative. Access to these data is important for accountability. We’re combating to halt any a lot more records from becoming destroyed," the watchdog team tweeted.

Remington's order follows a ruling by Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn very last week in which special counsel Michael Gableman's business office was purchased to pay back $98,000 to American Oversight for fees linked with a independent open-documents situation. There have been at the very least four open up information circumstances involving disputes involving American Oversight and Gableman.

American Oversight has sought documents about Gableman's election inquiry, but the previous point out Supreme Court docket justice mentioned his staff frequently deleted e-mails and other key documents that he deemed related to the inquiry. Several judges have slammed Gableman for this and ordered him to preserve documents.

In June, Remington slapped Gableman with a $2,000 day by day contempt good right up until he proved that he handed over all readily available documents that American Oversight sought from his inquiry. The get came immediately after Gableman created an really fiery courtroom look and refused to solution a quantity of inquiries from the judge. The contempt good was lifted later on that month after Gableman divulged supplemental information to the court docket about his document-retaining methods.

Struggling with strain from supporters of former President Donald Trump about the 2020 election in the Badger Point out, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) employed Gableman past summer months to investigate the election.

His investigation has faced prevalent scrutiny and criticism, specifically among Democrats but also in court docket. Past week, Bailey-Rihn stressed that his inquiry identified "definitely no proof of election fraud."

Gableman has introduced stories detailing allegations of maleficence in the 2020 election, but individuals studies have been refuted by the Wisconsin Elections Fee, which statements his stories are rife with mischaracterizations. In Could, Gableman's inquiry was paused whilst he battles litigation more than his inquiry in courtroom.

Trump brandishes endorsement versus Wisconsin Republican resisting decertify movement

Daniel Chaitin

July 31, 02:15 PM July 31, 02:16 PM

Former President Donald Trump put a top rated Wisconsin lawmaker on recognize, escalating his immense pressure campaign to get the point out to embrace his statements of a stolen election in 2020.

A slew of posts on Truth of the matter Social, Trump's nascent social media application, ended up punctuated with a recognize that the former president is brazenly thinking about an endorsement of a rival to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who has so much resisted Trump's overtures to decertifying President Joe Biden's victory in Wisconsin.

"Robin Vos is sooo lousy for the Fantastic Point out of Wisconsin that I am seriously thinking of Supporting and ENDORSING his Opponent," Trump said on Sunday. "Anybody would be better! Keep TUNED!!!"

Vos is experiencing a Republican principal in August, and his opponent, Adam Steen, knocked him for not having "election thievery" significantly plenty of.

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Biden defeated Trump by approximately 21,000 votes in Wisconsin in 2020, a final result that has been upheld by recounts and courtroom rulings that have rejected assertions of popular fraud. Having said that, the state continues to be an energetic battleground for questioning the success and election tactics during that contest.

Vos told a nearby news outlet this month that Trump keeps contacting about decertifying Biden's victory in spite of his insistence that these kinds of a transfer is not constitutional. "It’s quite regular," Vos informed UPFRONT. "He will make his case, which I respect. He would like us to do one thing distinct in Wisconsin. I spelled out it is really not permitted under the Constitution. He has a various belief, and then he put out the tweet. So that is it."

Inspite of Trump's venting, Vos has authorized some inquiry into promises of election malfeasance. He hired former Wisconsin Supreme Court docket Justice Michael Gableman to examine the 2020 election, and Gableman has urged Wisconsin to decertify the 2020 election.

Nevertheless, Gableman's investigation has extensive faced skepticism from Democrats, such as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who dismissed the inquiry as a political circus. That inquiry is ongoing and facing authorized battles linked to transparency. The Legislative Audit Bureau also performed a critique of the contest and in October built dozens of suggestions for strengthening the voting approach but claimed it did not find evidence of common fraud.

Even now, there is some momentum amongst Vos's colleagues to just take even more motion far more than 20 months after the 2020 election. Election committee chief Janel Brandtjen, a Republican endorsed by Trump, lately introduced a assertion saying she would sign up for fellow point out Rep. Tim Ramthun, a Republican applicant for governor, in pushing to overturn the very last presidential election, and she dismissed the naysayers. "We have been explained to for months now that decertification is unattainable, meaning there is no draw back to dishonest in Wisconsin elections," Brandtjen stated. "How many a lot more moments do we want to endure this election injustice? Robin, don’t permit the voters of Wisconsin down!"