Senior Vox correspondent Ian Millhiser is sounding the alarm about the battle Republicans in Wisconsin have taken up attempting to remove a member of the state Supreme Court elected by the people. If that happens, the state becomes an oligarchy, he said.
Millhiser, who covers the legal beat, explained that over the past ten years, the state has been gerrymandered so severely that it has become impossible for a Democratic majority to be elected in the state House, despite having the majority everywhere else. Now that there is a progressive majority in the state Supreme Court, however, a challenge to the maps is going to be decided and Republicans are furious.
"Let's be clear," Millhiser explained, "in 2018 Democrats won 54 percent of the popular vote for the states. Republicans still get the supermajority in the legislature. This is virtually impervious gerrymandering. Democrats have now taken every step they can possibly take. They tried to elect a state legislature that would undo the gerrymandering. They couldn't do it since it was too powerful. They had federal lawsuits in a state called — which went all the way to the Supreme Court. There was a case called where the Supreme Court said, 'We're not going to do anything at all about partisan gerrymandering, period.' That option was out."
This is one of the last options left to fight back, and Republicans have responded by going after the recently elected state Supreme Court justice, Janet Protasiewicz.
"Whether it's the state legislature stepping in through impeachment or federal courts stepping in through some kind of injunction," he continued. "If something like that happens the message will be sent to the people of Wisconsin, essentially Wisconsin is an oligarchy. There is a legislative body that not only is elected by the people but in practice can only be held by Republicans. And all of the powers that be have one by one been taken away all of the leverage that can be used to do something about gerrymandering until there is nothing left."
The panel discussion moved to talk about other cases where Republicans are trying to oust anyone attempting to apply the law to one of their candidates. In Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis was elected by the people, but the legislature there passed a law saying that a panel could remove her if they saw enough evidence.
In Tennessee, Republicans attempted to remove three legislators, successfully expelling two of them, after they protested on the House floor. Their communities immediately reelected both men. Once reinstated, the GOP Speaker cut off the microphone of one of the lawmakers again.
In other states like North Carolina, Republicans are facing gerrymandering lawsuits for crafting partisan maps. The state Supreme Court blocked the GOP in that case.
See the full discussion below or at the link here.