GOP’s Threat to Justice

Forwarded from the Wisconsin Democratic Party: 9/6/23

Fellow Wisconsin Democrats,

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is publicly threatening to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz. It’s not necessarily a done deal—but there’s every reason to think it’s serious.

And so, this morning, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and our democracy-defending allies launched an intensive, multi-pronged statewide campaign called Defend Justice. 

Our goal: make it clear to Wisconsin Republicans that their unconstitutional and anti-democratic threat to impeach Justice Protasiewicz is absolutely unacceptable and would constitute a political disaster for the GOP and for our system of government writ large.

When voters elect someone, politicians can’t overturn the election to stay in power. Robin Vos and Wisconsin Republicans in the legislature are publicly threatening to nullify the votes of more than a million Wisconsinites, opening a Pandora’s Box and shredding our judicial independence and the rule of law.

This impeachment threat is a desperate, unconstitutional, and obscene power grab—a refusal to accept the results of the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court Election. Justice Protasiewicz was elected overwhelmingly mere months ago. She has yet to hear a single case on our state’s highest court. For Republicans to fabricate grounds for impeachment would be unprecedented, unconstitutional and a slap in the face of every Wisconsin voter.

It’s time to Defend Justice. Starting today, we will immediately kick off an all-out voter outreach campaign to knock on doors, call phones, text, friend-bank, mobilize digital outreach, and hold community events—especially in Republican legislative districts—to make sure every voter knows that the GOP is threatening to nullify their votes and lock in their gerrymandered maps, their near-total abortion ban, and their power to overturn the 2024 election.

That’s where you come in.

You’ve been a crucial defender of democracy. Now, your state needs you once again. Below, find

  • a quick messaging overview,
  • a list of local canvasses tonight,
  • an invite to a party-wide briefing tomorrow night,
  • and this link: defendjustice.com. That’s the website we’ll use to track where each legislators stands on impeachment—and share handy ways to contact them.

We’ll be in touch soon with more information on how you can get involved—and stay involved—as we defend our democracy from these unprecedented GOP attacks.

In solidarity,
Ben

ANNOUNCING DEFEND JUSTICE

TOPLINE MESSAGE: When voters elect someone, politicians can’t overturn the election just because they want to stay in power. The Republican threat to impeach Janet Protasiewicz is a desperate, unconstitutional, unprecedented, and obscene power grab to erase the votes of over a million Wisconsinites and lock in gerrymandered maps, the near-total abortion ban, and the power to overturn the 2024 presidential election. The public must make absolutely clear to Robin Vos and Republicans in the Wisconsin State Legislature that this attempt to nullify the last election is unacceptable.

  • When voters elect someone, politicians can’t overturn the election to stay in power. That principle is as American as apple pie and the 4th of July. Wisconsinites elected Justice Janet Protasiewicz by an 11-point margin in April, ushering in a new era of democracy in Wisconsin.
  • Now, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is threatening to undo it all by illegally impeaching Justice Protasiewicz—all before she’s heard a single case on the bench.
  • This is an unprecedented threat. No state official has ever been convicted and removed from office by the Wisconsin State Senate.
  • The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to hear cases on critical issues including abortion, voting rights, redistricting, and the environment. And this is to say nothing about the 2024 election.
  • In 2020, Wisconsin came the closest of any state to overturning presidential election results. A single vote on the Court stopped Republicans from overturning President Biden’s victory in Wisconsin.
  • In 2024, Republicans could try again—and without Justice Protasiewicz on the bench, their next effort to thwart democracy could be successful. The risk is too high—we must stop this threat now before it goes any further.
  • This impeachment threat is a desperate, unconstitutional, unprecedented, and obscene power grab to erase the votes of a million Wisconsinites and lock in their gerrymandered maps, the near-total abortion ban, and the plot to overturn the 2024 presidential election.
  • The Democratic Party of Wisconsin and allies are launching an intensive statewide campaign to ensure that Wisconsin state legislators publicly commit to voting against impeachment, and to make sure the Wisconsin public knows exactly what the GOP is trying to do.

FURTHER READING

  • Robin Vos’s fake justification for impeachment. Vos is claiming that Justice Janet should be impeached if she doesn’t recuse on maps cases, because she noted that the legislative maps are rigged. They are rigged—and pointing that out doesn’t require her to recuse. Read this explanation about recusal policy.
  • How does impeachment work? All it takes is a simple majority in the Assembly to impeach, which leads to suspension until a Senate trial concludes. It takes ⅔ of the Senate to convict. Read more in this CNN story.
  • An overview of the whole situation: read the new New York Times story that ran this morning. A preview: “The drama over Republican threats to impeach and possibly remove Justice Protasiewicz could raise new questions about democracy and the legitimacy of elections in a state where G.O.P. lawmakers and their allies spent two years disputing the 2020 presidential contest’s outcome. […] Democrats on Wednesday will begin a $4 million counteroffensive over three weeks that is intended to inflict maximum political pain on legislators who vote to block Justice Protasiewicz from serving.”

HOW TO DEFEND JUSTICE

  • Attend the party-wide briefing where you’ll have the chance to ask questions and learn more about this unprecedented threat. This briefing will be held at 7PM CT on Thursday, September 7.
  • Get involved with a local canvass or phone bank, starting tonight:
    Defend Justice Phone Bank:

    • Virtual: Wednesday, Sept. 6 – Friday, Sept. 8