“Feb 21st: Our 5th UU Principle In Action” February, 2023

Feb 21st: Our 5th UU Principle in Action

February, 2023

Regardless of your voting history, party affiliation, or social and political beliefs--the upcoming primary for the Wisconsin Supreme Court will have a significant impact on the future of Wisconsin.

Why? The Court presently has a 4-3 conservative majority. Since one of the conservative justices is retiring, that means there will be one open seat that can either keep the 4-3 conservative majority OR change it to a 4-3 liberal majority. (And the term is for 10 years, so this vote is likely to affect Wisconsin for decades.)

Who's running? There are 2 conservative candidates and 2 liberal candidates running for this seat. The top 2 vote-getters from this primary will face off in the general election on April 4th. But here's the thing: If those top 2 contenders happen to be ideologically similar (i.e., either both liberal or both conservative), then the direction of Wisconsin's judicial system will actually be determined at the primary! So it's important for all of us to vote on Tuesday, Feb 21st, whether we lean liberal or conservative. Our votes--at the Feb 21st primary and the April 4th general election--will determine the fate of abortion rights, gerrymandering, and even influence the outcome of the 2024 election.

Who's liberal; who's conservative? Since Supreme Court elections are officially nonpartisan, none of the candidates are running as Democrats or Republicans. They won't have "liberal" or "conservative" next to their names either. So if you care about "voting your values," you will to want to remember this:

The 2 liberal candidates are:

1) Janet Protasiewicz (I know, her last name is difficult to pronounce, so people refer to her as "Judge Janet"), a veteran prosecutor, victim advocate, and Milwaukee County judge who supports abortion rights, an end to partisan gerrymandering, and the right of public employees to collective bargaining (a right taken away during the Walker administration).

AND

2) Everett Mitchell, a Dane County judge who oversees Milwaukee County's High Risk Drug Court program. Like Judge Janet, he has declared his support for abortion rights and an end to gerrymandering.

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The 2 conservative candidates are:

1) Daniel Kelly, a former Wis. Supreme Court justice (appointed by Scott Walker) who lost his seat in a 2020 election and thus is running again. He works at a conservative think tank in Delafield and has been endorsed by former President Trump.

AND

2) Jennifer Dorow, the Waukesha County judge who presided over the trial of the man who drove into the Waukesha holiday parade. She describes herself as a judicial conservative and also has ties to former President Trump. (Her husband was a security official for Trump campaign events in Wisconsin.)

Don't sit this one out! According to the New York Times, the primary on Feb 21st--along with the general election on April 4th--carry bigger policy stakes than any other contest in America. So please vote (and encourage your friends to vote) on Feb 21st. You get to vote for only one candidate, so liberals will want to vote either for Janet Protasiewicz ("Judge Janet," pronounced PRO - tuh - SAY - witz) or Everett Mitchell. Conservatives will want to vote for either Daniel Kelly or Jennifer Dorow.

Please don't just wait for the Apr 4th general election, because by that time the direction of the Wis. Supreme Court could already be decided. (Remember, the 2 candidates at that time could turn out to be of the same political ideology, thus making the April 4th election less impactful.) Think of both Feb 21st and April 4th as UU "holy days," celebrating our fifth UU principle: [We affirm and promote] the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process, in our congregations and in society at large.

Thanks for voting, everyone. It's one of the most spiritual acts we do all year.

peace and unrest,

tony