MADISON, Wis. – In case you missed it, The New York Times reported on a recently uncovered audio of extreme politician Brad Schimel pre-judging how he would rule in abortion cases.

In two separate audio clips from last year, Schimel said that “there is not a constitutional right to abortion” in Wisconsin. Schimel also exclaimed on the 1849 law that bans all abortions with no exceptions, “What is flawed about that law?”

While Judge Crawford was fighting to protect fundamental rights, Brad Schimel was arguing in favor of Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban, argued to keep it on the books, and defended abortion restrictions. Even now, he’s called the 1849 ban “valid.” And under Schimel, the Wisconsin Department of Justice played a leading role in the national effort which successfully overturned Roe v. Wade.

See more from The New York Times:

New York Times: One of 2025’s Biggest Battles Over Abortion Rights Has Already Begun

At another stop, in Chilton, Wis., Judge Schimel declared: “There is not a constitutional right to abortion in our State Constitution. That will be a sham if they find that.”

The race, like many others in Wisconsin, is likely to be dominated by abortion rights.

As attorney general, Judge Schimel helped map out a strategy to restrict abortion rights. And last summer, in the early stages of his campaign for the court, he told supporters he backed the state’s 1849 law banning abortion, which became valid when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The old law was put on hold in December 2023 and is likely to come before the state high court later this year.

“They’ve got several issues in front of them,” he told a crowd in Adams County, according to audio of the meeting shared with The New York Times. “One is the 1849 ban on abortions, which, by the way — what is flawed about that law?”