Democrats open war chest to combat impeachment efforts of Janet Protasiewicz

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The Democratic Party of Wisconsin opened its war chest Wednesday, releasing $4 million in the “Defend Justice” multi-pronged statewide campaign to hold Wisconsin Legislative Republicans accountable for what they say are an “unconstitutional, anti-democratic threat to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz.”

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, as soon as the Wisconsin Legislature votes to impeach a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, that justice is precluded from sitting on the bench hearing cases, including on abortion and gerrymandering.

Last April, Wisconsinites elected Protasiewicz by an overwhelming, double-digit margin.

“Now, extremist Republican politicians in Madison are threatening impeachment in a desperate attempt to maintain their grip on power—heading off any challenges to their gerrymandered maps, Wisconsin’s near-total 1849 abortion ban, or a MAGA attempt to overturn the 2024 election,” Wisconsin Democrats said in a written statement.

“Defend Justice,” will kick off as “WisDems conduct a robust outreach campaign to inform the public about the GOP’s renewed attacks on Wisconsin’s free and fair elections, as well as mobilize Wisconsinites to call on their legislators to reject any effort by Robin Vos to overturn the will of Wisconsin voters through an unconstitutional and unprecedented impeachment power grab.”

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said impeachment of Protasiewicz could advance if she does not recuse herself from upcoming election-related cases.

“When voters elect someone, politicians can’t overturn the results just because they want to stay in power. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’s threat to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz is a desperate, unconstitutional, unprecedented, and obscene power grab to erase the votes of over a million Wisconsinites and lock in the GOP’s gerrymandered maps, the near-total abortion ban, and the power to overturn the 2024 presidential election,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler.

“The Defend Justice campaign will make clear to Republican legislators that an unconstitutional impeachment would massively backfire. If Robin Vos moves forward on his impeachment threat, it will permanently define his legacy,” Winkler added.

Democrats across the country from Tulsa to Baltimore already spent nearly $10 million for Justice Janet Protasiewicz’s campaign.

Vos recently said on WISN-AM that Democrats were “trying to intimidate us” but Republicans won’t back down. Vos also said the Democrats’ action “doesn’t make it more or less likely” that Republicans will pursue impeachment.

On Tuesday, Protasiewicz provided attorneys a Sept. 18 deadline to respond to the Wisconsin Judicial Commission’s recent action dismissing complaints against her that she says falsely claimed her campaign comments on redistricting violated the state judicial code.