Two former Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are criticizing the Republican House's effort to impeach a newly elected liberal justice.
Former Justices Louis Butler and Janine Geske spoke out against the effort to remove Justice Janet Protasiewicz in a column published Thursday.
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court justices reject Speaker Robin Vos' assertions https://t.co/jGK5USauis
— Wisconsin State Journal (@WiStateJournal) September 21, 2023
"This is an unprecedented step of the speaker inserting himself into the judicial process," the former justices argued.
"While we were not invited to join this panel, we think it’s important to share our perspective on the questions surrounding impeachment and outline the reasons why it would not only be inappropriate, but unconstitutional," they added.
Ex-Wisconsin Supreme Court justices blast GOP impeachment push https://t.co/RXwvafeTzb pic.twitter.com/jkBknRf1Oe
— The Hill (@thehill) September 21, 2023
"Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) and other Republicans in the Badger State are considering impeaching Protasiewicz after the state Supreme Court was asked to consider two redistricting cases over the state’s legislative maps," the Hill reported.
"Republicans point to her comments when she was running for a vacant seat on the state Supreme Court earlier this year in which she called the state’s maps 'rigged' as well as her receiving nearly $10 million from the state Democratic Party," it added.
EXCLUSIVE: The Wisconsin Ethics Commission is investigating Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz's campaign for alleged money laundering and fraud known as "smurfing"--illegally funneling big money contributions through unaware small donors. https://t.co/8H4Tx0A6JR
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) September 20, 2023
"The Wisconsin Ethics Commission is investigating new Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz's campaign for alleged money laundering and fraud. A complaint accuses the campaign of 'smurfing'--the illegal practice of laundering big money donations through unaware small-dollar donors," Newstalk 1130 reported.
"The total amount identified to date of illegally laundering money into Janet For Justice's campaign comes to $1,038,705.93," alleges the complaint, which was filed earlier this month by Election Watch.
"It appears individuals, or those being smurfed, are largely used to aggregate mostly less than the $200 reporting limit of individuals to avoid detection," it noted.
The former justices may believe impeachment is unwarranted but they are not the only voices that matter.
The latest concerns may add to popular opinion against the new justice that will fuel the effort to remove the justice in what could be a massive controversy headed into the 2024 election year that includes the more nationally known impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden.
