How the progressive victory in Wisconsin sets the stage for a major democracy revival
Wisconsin's moribund democracy had been on life support for years, but Tuesday night's resounding progressive victory in a pivotal race for the state Supreme Court offers bright new hope for the restoration of rights long trampled by Republicans.
At the very top of the list is abortion, the issue that powered Democrats to unexpected success last year and was central to Judge Janet Protasiewicz's double-digit win in her bid for the state's top court. Alone among states that Joe Biden carried in 2020, Wisconsin has a total ban on abortion in place thanks to a zombie law dating to 1849 that was reanimated after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. That ban has been challenged by Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, and a state court judge will hear oral arguments over whether to dismiss the case early next month.