Wisconsin Weekly is a roundup of the week’s top headlines from around the state by Wisconsin Watch and other trusted news outlets.
- Republicans leave open impeachment if Justice Protasiewicz doesn’t recuse
- Election fraud report finds few cases of voter fraud in 2022
- Workers are dying from the heat in absence of federal regulations
- Child care centers in rural areas with limited worker options face closure
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Supreme Court
Wisconsin GOP threatens to impeach justice over donations, but conservatives also took party cash
The Associated Press — Sept. 7, 2023
Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz hasn’t even ruled on a case yet, but Republicans are saber-rattling that they might remove her from office if she doesn’t recuse from a critical redistricting lawsuit. They say she has prejudged the case by calling the current maps “rigged.” But as Wisconsin Watch has reported, prejudging a case would be a judicial ethics issue, and it would take a two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly to remove her under the constitutional process for such an offense.
More:
- WPR: Democrats plan to spend millions on ad war in fight over state Supreme Court impeachment threat
- New York Times: Why Republicans Could Impeach a Liberal Judge Before She’s Heard a Case
- Washington Post: Wisconsin’s gerrymandering rides to the rescue of its gerrymandering
- Washington Post: Wisconsin GOP entertains a constitutional crisis. Again.
Complaints over campaign comments by Wisconsin Supreme Court justice are dismissed
The Associated Press — Sept. 5, 2023
Throwing another wrinkle into the GOP talk of impeachment, the Wisconsin Judicial Commission dismissed complaints against Protasiewicz for comments she made on the campaign trail about her views on the state’s legislative maps.
Elections
Felon voter fraud remains rare in Wisconsin, report shows
The Associated Press — Sept. 6, 2023
Wisconsin prosecutors forwarded a miniscule 23 cases of felons voting in the 2022 election, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Wisconsin Watch previously reported that felony voting is the most common type of exceptionally rare voter fraud prosecuted in the state.
Environment
Poor regulatory safeguards leave farmworkers suffocating in the face of increasing heat waves
Investigate Midwest and Harvest Public Media — Sept. 4, 2023
There have been 121 heat-related worker deaths over the past six years and the absence of federal heat regulations for employers increases that risk.
Child care
How the closure of a Wisconsin child care center affects an entire small town
The 19th — Sept. 5, 2023
A child care center in Lancaster, Wisconsin, is featured in a story about how the worker shortage is affecting the ability of small towns to provide adequate options for parents.
This week’s Wisconsin Watch fact briefs
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