Protasiewicz will recuse herself from WI Democratic Party cases, but 'absolutely not' on abortion matters

 

MADISON Wis. (CBS 58) -- If elected to the state Supreme Court, Janet Protasiewicz said she would recuse herself from cases involving the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, but she would not make the same commitment on cases involving abortion policy despite making it a key issue in her campaign.

To remain fair and impartial to the public, Protasiewicz said she would remove herself from cases brought forth or by the state Democratic Party because of its recent $2.5 million donation to her campaign.

"The public deserves to have the appearance of fairness, the appearance of impartially and I don't know if the public could really say she's fair when she's received $2.5M from a particular entity," Protasiewicz said speaking to reporters after an appearance at the Wisconsin Counties Legislative Conference Wednesday.

When asked whether she'd withdraw herself from abortion-related issues that may come before the high court, Protasiewicz said 'absolutely not,' even though Planned Parenthood has said they plan on spending at least $1 million supporting her.

"I've been very, very clear and very, very careful that I have talked to people about what my personal values are," Protasiewicz said. "I make sure everybody understands that I will only be making decisions based on what the law is and based on what the Constitution is."

The Milwaukee County Judge went on to say she has made no promises to Planned Parenthood.

Right now, Planned Parenthood is not involved in Attorney General Josh Kaul's lawsuit seeking to repeal the state’s 1849 near-total abortion ban. Justices are expected to take up the lawsuit once it makes it through the lower courts.

Daniel Kelly, who's backed by conservatives in the race, did not make a similar pledge and said he would weigh recusal on a case-by-case matter.

"I will look at that issue very closely and any case that would potentially implicate the Republican Party or anyone else who makes contributions," Kelly told reporters at the same event Wednesday.

Kelly was paid by the Republican Party of Wisconsin in 2020 for his work on election issues, according to a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The former Supreme Court Justice has also provided legal advice to the former Republican Party chairman Andrew Hitt during the lead up to the fake elector scheme following the 2020 presidential election.

Kelly said due to attorney client privilege he could not discuss his conversation with Hitt but did say it was roughly a 30-minute phone call. When asked about what was specifically talked about, Kelly said, "I don't even recall."

The attempt to submit fake electors for former President Donald Trump is now the center of the U.S. House committee investigation into the Jan. 6th attack.