Protasiewicz joins Wisconsin Supreme Court; expected to tip the court in a liberal direction

Four months have passed since Wisconsin voters chose Janet Protasiewicz over Dan Kelly for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Former circuit judge Protasiewicz has now been sworn in for a 10-year term on the high court.

After taking the oath of office from Justice Ann Walsh Bradley on Tuesday at a Capitol ceremony in Madison, the new justice reflected on the campaign which led up to the April election.

“I was everywhere,” she said. “I was in some places four or five or six or seven times, such as La Crosse and Eau Claire.”

“But I heard from the people of this state about our shared beliefs. We all want a Wisconsin where our freedoms are protected. We want a Wisconsin with a fair and impartial Supreme Court. “

Protasiewicz is a former circuit judge and prosecutor from Milwaukee, who won the election for an open seat on the court last April.

“As a former prosecutor and judge, ” the justice said, “I’ve witnessed first-hand the importance of upholding our laws, holding people accountable, and applying justice fairly and equally.”

The election of Protasiewicz to succeed the retired conservative justice Pat Roggensack gives the state court a 4-3 liberal majority for the first time in more than a decade. Opponents of Protasiewicz warned that the Supreme Court would be under the “rule of Janet” if she won the election, implying that the liberal justice would cast the tie-breaking vote on many issues before the court.