No. While Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes supports U.S. Supreme Court “reforms,” he has not yet taken a stance on adding more justices to the court.
Category: Fact briefs
Wisconsin Watch is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.
Contact us at factbriefs@wisconsinwatch.org
Posted inFact briefs
Did the Wisconsin Legislature’s 2020 election integrity probe find evidence of widespread voter fraud?
No. A judge has found that the Republican-led, taxpayer-funded investigation of the 2020 election did not find widespread voter fraud.
Posted inFact briefs
Did the Wisconsin Supreme Court rule that people with misdemeanor convictions involving domestic abuse can get concealed carry gun permits?
Yes. In May 2022, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in Doubeck v. Kaul that people with misdemeanor disorderly conduct convictions can obtain concealed carry gun permits — even when the incidents involve domestic violence.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Tim Michels outlined how much his ‘universal school choice’ plan would cost?
No. Republican Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate and business owner Tim Michels has advocated for removing enrollment and income limits on school choice programs in Wisconsin to allow any parent to send their child to private school with a taxpayer-funded voucher, also known as “universal school choice.”
Posted inFact briefs
Did leaked data show some elected officials in Wisconsin were members of the Oath Keepers?
Yes. According to an analysis of leaked data by the Anti-Defamation League, six Wisconsin elected officials had memberships with the Oath Keepers, an extremist anti-government group.
Posted inFact briefs
Are guns allowed at some polling places in Wisconsin?
Yes. Guns are allowed at some polling places in Wisconsin, depending on the voting location, Attorney General Josh Kaul told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Posted inFact briefs
Does Tim Michels oppose access to birth control?
No. In July 2022, ahead of the Republican primary for governor, Tim Michels clarified that he was not against birth control, including the emergency contraceptive known as Plan B.
Posted inFact briefs
Was fentanyl responsible for more than 1,200 deaths in Wisconsin last year?
Yes. In 2021, 1,280 people died of fentanyl overdose in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Posted inFact briefs
Did a member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission say she was a partisan appointee?
Yes. Ann Jacobs, a commissioner on the Wisconsin Elections Commission, stated in a tweet that she is a partisan appointee to the commission, in response to conservative radio show host Dan O’Donnell. O’Donnell had tweeted that Jacobs’ criticism of GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels put into question whether the commission could “be fair to Republicans.”
Posted inFact briefs
Does Wisconsin have the second highest math proficiency rate among fourth graders in the US?
Yes. According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress report card, 43% of Wisconsin fourth-grade students tested proficient or higher in math — tied with Nebraska and Massachusetts for the second highest percentage across all U.S. states.
Posted inFact briefs
Is the percentage of Black inmates in Wisconsin seven times higher than the percentage of Black citizens in the state?
Yes. Black people comprised 42% of incarcerated individuals in Wisconsin state and federal correctional facilities in 2020, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In comparison, Black people made up 6% Of Wisconsin’s overall population in the 2020 Census.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Wisconsin invested the most pandemic aid money of any state in economic development?
Yes. Wisconsin is the U.S. state that has invested the most federal pandemic aid money in economic development and business assistance.