The outcome of a challenge to Wisconsin’s legislative maps is “predetermined” by the court’s liberal majority, conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote in a dissent issued Tuesday.
The court is considering taking up lawsuits filed directly with it, bypassing lower courts, earlier this month after the state’s highest court flipped to liberal control for the first time in years. The lawsuits seek to overturn maps drawn by Republican lawmakers and replace them ahead of the 2024 election.
On Tuesday, the court ordered the Wisconsin Elections Commission to file responses to the petitions by Aug. 22.
In a dissenting opinion, Bradley wrote that “everyone knows” the court’s four liberal justices will grant the petitions.
“Despite receiving nearly $10 million from the Democrat Party of Wisconsin and declaring the maps ‘rigged,’ (Justice Janet) Protasiewicz has not recused herself from the case. These four justices will adopt new maps to shift power away from Republicans and bestow an electoral advantage for Democrat candidates, fulfilling one of Protasiewicz’s many promises to the principal funder of her campaign,” Bradley wrote.
See also Elections chief Meagan Wolfe calls her position ‘untenable’ in commission’s dispute with senators.