Liberals secured a majority on Wisconsin’s highest court for the first time in over a decade Tuesday with the election of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz.
The result of the nationally watched race, which shattered spending records well before its conclusion on election day, breaks the hold conservatives have had on the state Supreme Court since 2008 and carries potential implications for abortion access and redistricting measures in the key swing state.
The Associated Press called the election for Protasiewicz at 9:55 p.m. Eastern time, less than an hour after polls closed. Protasiewicz had a 14-point lead over her conservative opponent, Daniel Kelly, a former state Supreme Court justice who lost his seat in an election three years ago.
