Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn says he expects a “shift in judicial philosophy” as liberal Janet Protasiewicz is sworn in Tuesday.
“Every time you have a new member of the court, the whole court really changes,” Hagedorn said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “What concerns me, I guess, a bit, and not so much speaking about this particular race, but the message that people receive is that the court is really an extension of the political apparatus or the political parties or the political agenda that people have. And that shouldn’t be true on the right. It shouldn’t be true on the left.”
The Milwaukee County judge beat former Justice Daniel Kelly by 11 points in April, running a campaign centered on her “values” and at several points calling the state’s legislative maps “rigged.”
Hagedorn wouldn’t say whether he believes she should recuse herself if a case makes it to the high court, as expected.
“I’m not going to comment on those matters at this point,” he said. “That will be a decision for her to make and for parties and whatever comes before us to address.”
Hagedorn has been a key swing vote, siding with liberal justices on several high-profile cases, leading to criticism from some conservatives.
“I do think that people have begun to have expectations for the court that it’s simply going to be kind of a rubber stamp for whatever political side it is, and regardless of what happens in the fall, I hope that we don’t become that,” Hagedorn said. “Maybe some people thought that it was a wink and a nod, and it wasn’t. I was telling the truth when I ran about what I believe about the role of the court.”
Hagedorn, whose first term runs through 2029, wouldn’t say yet whether he plans to seek a second term.
“I’m taking it one year at a time,” he said. “This is a great job in so many ways, and like I said, I think that many people have seen that I’ve been faithful to my promises. I understand there’s squawkers on various sides who don’t like that, but I’m going to continue doing what I said I was going to do, and if it comes time to ask the people for another term, then I’ll make my case.”
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, told “UpFront” House Republicans are “clearly setting us up” for a potential government shutdown this fall.
“We’re way behind the appropriations in the House,” said Pocan, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “If they can’t even pass the bills they’re putting out with their members, it’s going to very likely be a shutdown because they’re OK with that. And nobody should accept that as another day in Washington.”
Congress is on its August recess as the 2024 presidential race heats up, and the first Republican presidential primary debate is scheduled in Milwaukee on Aug. 23.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said this past week Republicans could explore the possibility of an impeachment inquiry targeting President Biden surrounding involvement with his son Hunter, whose plea deal on tax and gun charges this past week was put on hold.
“This Congress has taken us to a new level of ridiculousness, so I just don’t think it’s a good idea to do something just for the sake of trying to impeach someone for the sake of electoral gain,” Pocan said. “So the focus should be where it is, on Hunter Biden, and if he did something wrong, he should pay the price, and I think we all agree on that.”
Ahead of the Wisconsin State Fair opening Thursday, the fair’s CEO and executive director, Shari Black, says her goal is to “progress every year.”
“We’re doing numerous projects throughout the park,” Black told “UpFront.” “This year, we had just over 400 going on, and that’s everything small from areas getting new asphalt all the way up to the restrooms that we just finished this year.”
Black, who is in her second year as the fair’s CEO, is the only top executive in recent years with an agriculture background and the first known CEO in recent history to have shown animals at the fair growing up.
“I want to see the fair continue to progress with those projects getting done, enhancing the experience for our fairgoers, as well as adding to the ticket,” Black said. “When you come to the fair, I understand that everything is expensive now. I have three kids. I get the family budget.”
The Wisconsin State Fair runs Aug. 3-13.
See more from the show:
https://www.wisn.com/upfront
