This seems to be a classic example of what happens whenever liberal Democrats take power anywhere. In this case, however, if enough “irregularities” are floating around, they could have an impact on the presidential election next year. Wisconsin Supreme Court is the institution at issue. In April of this year, the Badger State’s top court was in the hands of conservatives. Janet Protasiewicz was appointed as the newest justice of the court on August 1. Oddly, it was then that the troubles began. Now, conservative Chief Judge Annette Ziegler accuses the liberal majority on the court of staging a coup and calls the actions by the new liberal majority “an illegal experiment.”
Chief Justice Ziegler accused #liberal justices of a “walking quorum.” Per #Wisconsin DOJ website, the WI Supreme Court has commented that “any attempt to avoid the appearance of a meeting through the use of a walking quorum is subject to PROSECUTION under the open meetings… pic.twitter.com/eYN6R65KPI
— Wisconsin Right Now (@wisconsin_now) August 28, 2023
The liberals quickly changed the procedure on the court. Their first step was to undercut the conservative leader. The liberals created a committee that would handle the duties previously performed by Ziegler. Ziegler said that this had a significant impact on her. She was elected to a second term as Chief Justice by the conservative majority in May. Audrey Skwierawski, the interim director of state courts, replaced Randy Koschnick as State Court Director. Ziegler claims that Skierawski began immediately signing orders under her name, without Ziegler’s knowledge or consent. Ziegler also announced that she would begin a nationwide hunt for a new director of the state courts.
As expected, the emails are flying back and forth. Ziegler, in an email sent to Skierawski and her fellow justices, criticized the liberal justices’ actions.
You are ruining the judiciary and the institution in the future. This must stop. … “I have no faith in the recent hostile takeover, the chaos it has caused, or the effect on staff and the stability of the courts.”
Rebecca Dallet, a liberal justice, fired back saying that she was “disappointed,” Ziegler brought court chaos to Wisconsinites’ attention, and that the actions taken were constitutional. She replied to Ziegler’s email by claiming victimhood.
“We are simply creating process so that a majority of the court can effectively work in the face of an intransigent and un-collegial chief who apparently insists on a public debate about issues for political purposes, rather than allow a court majority to function as it always has.”
Next, Ziegler sent an email to Skierawski in which she ordered Skierawski not to sign orders under her name. She wrote:
You signed my orders as reserve judge without my knowledge or consent. You never asked for my permission. You don’t have my permission. Stop. Stop. These orders are mine. You do not have the legal authority to sign these orders. “Please let me know if you have signed any other documents under my name.”
Skierawski replied, “I have the authority and responsibility to sign orders for reserve judge.” Audrey Skierawski’s boldness in responding to Ziegler’s request this way shows that the liberal majority wants to undermine any authority the conservative Chief Justice may have. Chief Justice Ziegler is probably getting the same feeling. She sent an email to Justices saying:
“I will not tolerate such lawless destruction to the Constitution, the judiciary, or the Court. This is a coup unlike any other. For 40 years, the Chief Justice’s role has been respected and understood. Your short-term goals will do irreparable long-term damage to the judiciary. What a historic disgrace.”
True!👇
“Liberals have gone on offense. One group on the left filed a lawsuit over voting rules even before Protasiewicz was sworn in.”https://t.co/dcZUVDTeYW
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) August 27, 2023
In an attempt to paint Ziegler in a negative light, Dallet replied, “Let’s be clear.” You are the one who is trying to obstruct justice and the proper work of the court.
Liberal Democrats seem to be limited to two modes of operation. They see being in the majority as a license to change rules or procedures at their whim. They will pretend to be victims when they are in the majority. This is a well-oiled machine. In the case of Wisconsin drama at the high court may be a problem for 2024. In 2024, with razor-thin margins in many states, it is thought that the election for the 47th president of the United States may come down to just a few states. Wisconsin is definitely included in this mix. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty studied several aspects of Wisconsin’s 2020 election and found that some local practices were inconsistent with state laws and voter lists weren’t properly maintained.
It is a good thing that liberal justices did not strip Chief Justice Ziegler of his duty of informing the people of Wisconsin about how their Supreme Court was run.
Wisconsin Supreme Court getting spicy! And of course, it’s the liberal justices that are violating ethics and laws.
But since when did that ever bother them when you consider the policies of ignoring laws as activists with considerable bias. https://t.co/53xnDDajbm— Jason Szemborski (@SzemborskiJason) August 28, 2023
