The Wisconsin Supreme Court began its new term Tuesday with a liberal majority occupying the bench that immediately began removing conservative staff members, according to The Associated Press.
Justice Janet Protasiewicz replaced conservative Justice Pat Roggensack Tuesday after winning the election in May, giving the liberals the majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years, according to the AP. The court wasted no time changing leadership, starting with removing Director of State Courts Randy Koschnick, who has managed the system for the past six years. (RELATED: Clinton-Appointed Judge Blocks Idaho AG From Prosecuting Doctors Who Provide Out Of State Abortion Referrals)
Koschnick, who ran for a seat on the state Supreme Court in 2009 with the backing of conservatives, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he was made aware by Justice Jill Karfosky on Monday that he would be fired the following day.
“I asked her if there was any reason, if I had done anything that was inappropriate or below competence and she said ‘no, we are just moving in a different direction, we have four votes to remove you,” Koschnick said. “I hate to speculate [but] there is no legitimate reason to remove me, I have not received any complaints on my performance in the six years I have been here from any of the justices.”
People wait in line to vote in a Democratic presidential primary election outside the Hamilton High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 7, 2020. Democratic officials had sought to postpone the election but were overruled by the top state court, and the US Supreme Court stepped in to bar an extension of voting by mail that would have allowed more people to cast ballots without going to polling stations. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP)
Koschnick explained to the DCNF that the justices were not following the typical procedure in order to have him removed, noting that there was normally a meeting to discuss an agenda and that no such meeting had taken place. Additionally, Koschnick claimed that the three remaining conservative justices had told him they were not aware of the impending vote.
“This is taking a wrecking ball to the due process of law in Wisconsin,” Koschnick said. “This is a sad day for [the state.]”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has weighed in on several prominent cases in recent years, coming within one vote of overturning President Joe Biden’s win in the state over former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, according to the AP. The court is expected to hear several more high-profile cases regarding the state’s abortion ban, which bars the practice in all areas except to save the life of the mother, election procedures and voter laws.
This year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election was a historic one with $42 million being spent by candidates and interest groups, beating the previous national record of $15 million spent in Illinois. Protasiewicz spent $11.32 million and her opponent Daniel Kelly spent $15.4 million on May’s election.
Karfosky did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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