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Decision overturned?
Wisconsin politicians react to leaked draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade
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Wisconsin politicians reacted swiftly to Politico’s report of a draft U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would overturn the 1973 decision that established the right to an abortion.
Gov. Tony Evers tweeted last night the court was positioning itself to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“When I ran in 2018, I promised to protect reproductive rights and abortion access,” Evers tweeted. “I made that promise and I intend to keep it. I will always fight for reproductive healthcare in our state.
Several of his GOP rivals heralded the report. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch tweeted, “It’s about time.”
Kevin Nicholson added, “I pray this is true.”
Politico cited an initial draft majority opinion written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito in reporting late yesterday the court had voted to strike down Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 decision that largely maintained the right to an abortion established by the 1973 ruling.
Politico wrote the draft opinion had been circulated inside the court. The leak of the draft was considered a breach of protocol.
Wisconsin has outlawed abortion since 1849, though that ban hasn’t been enforced since Roe v. Wade was handed down. The law makes it a Class H felony for “any person, other than the mother, who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child.”
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, called for the U.S. Senate to pass legislation she co-sponsored to guarantee the right to access an abortion.
“If #SCOTUS is going to legislate from the bench and turn back the clock 50 years on #RoeVWade, then the Senate needs to pass my Women’s Health Protection Act, and if we need to eliminate the filibuster to get it done, we should do that too. #WHPA,” Baldwin tweeted.
Gableman’s office to remain open as challenge of probe continues
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Tuesday Michael Gableman’s office will remain open as the former justice fights lawsuits challenging his subpoena powers in a review of the 2020 election.
The statement came a day after Donald Trump called for the probe to continue and Gableman appealed to the Rochester Republican to keep his Brookfield office open. The former justice wrote in a letter obtained by WisPolitics.com that closing the office would “render pointless and a waste of taxpayer money the entire investigation.”
The amended contract that Gableman and Vos signed earlier this year concludes on Saturday even as the former justice fights lawsuits challenging his attempts to compel state and local officials to provide private depositions at his office rather than in public before a legislative committee. Already, Assembly Republicans have racked up more than $250,000 in legal bills in those suits, according to records WisPolitics.com obtained. That doesn’t include anything Gableman may have paid outside counsel with the $676,000 budget that Vos originally approved for the probe.
Gableman wrote closing his office would undermine efforts in court to validate his attempts to compel depositions at his private office from those he’s subpoenaed. He argued that would weaken the Assembly as well as the speaker’s office while inviting “a left-wing group” to sue to block oversight “the next time they want to hide something.”
Some 200 Wisconsin cities received $10 million from a group largely funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to help cover the costs of putting on the 2020 election during a pandemic. Of that, $8.8 million went to five Dem-run cities, which have been a focus on Gableman’s probe.
Michels taking leave of family biz in guv run
Republican Tim Michels announced he has taken a leave from his job with his family’s road building and infrastructure company as he runs for guv.
Michels, who formally entered the race on Monday, also pledged to divest from the company if he wins the guv’s
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office this fall.
Michels Corp. has more than $622 million in work over 22 contracts with the state in this fiscal year alone, according to a search of Open Book Wisconsin. The work runs from a contract for $43,990 with the Department of Natural Resources for maintenance and repairs to $260.9 million in contract work with the Department of Transportation.
Michels tweeted Thursday he stepped away from the Michels Corp. to “focus on running an aggressive, successful, statewide campaign.”
Wisconsin Republicans fight Title 42 rollback
A federal judge in Louisiana on Monday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from rolling back the Trump administration’s Title 42 immigration policy.
Wisconsin Republicans in Washington, D.C., have fought to keep the measure in place, voicing concerns about drugs and human trafficking coming into the state. But one top Dem suggests Republicans are engaging in an election-year anti-immigration ploy.
The Title 42 public health authority — implemented in 2020 by the Trump administration — is set to expire May 23. Under the policy, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol can immediately remove detainees from border detention facilities. The measure allows the president to halt or decrease immigration to avoid spreading disease.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas this week released a plan for the likely increase in migration into the country once the policy is no longer in place. The plan comes in the wake of concerns from Republicans and some Democrats that the United States isn’t prepared for a potential surge.
Concerns raised about solar exports probe
Renew Wisconsin is raising concerns about a federal investigation into “alleged unfair trade practices” targeting solar energy products imported from southeast Asia.
The renewable energy advocacy group highlighted the U.S. Commerce Department’s investigation into certain solar products imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. A release notes 80 percent of all U.S. solar panel imports come from these countries.
The investigation was launched in response to a complaint by a California manufacturer called Auxin Solar, which argued the imports from the four southeast Asian countries represent “pervasive backdoor dumping” by China, the Associated Press reported.
If the federal agency determines rules aimed at blocking products from China are being violated, Renew Wisconsin says “very high tariffs” will likely be enacted on these products, putting many solar projects in jeopardy.
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