“A DNC operative seeks to use SCOWIS to reshape the political environment in favor of his own candidate” – Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) “strongly condemns the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) attempt to remove Green Party candidate Jill Stein from the Wisconsin presidential ballot on the grounds that doing so would favor Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The DNC’s petition “calls for a new interpretation of Wis. Stat. § 8.18 that would effectively bar small or new parties from the presidential election,” WILL noted.
(Read our 2020 article on how the Wisconsin Elections Commission successfully denied the Green Party access to the ballot in this presidential election. In a close election, this could be crucial, as the party is likely to steal more votes from the Democrats.)
In 2016, Jill Stein of the Green Party received 31,072 Votes in Wisconsin. It probably cost Hillary Clinton the state of Wisconsin because President Donald Trump won the state in 2016 with fewer votes (22,748 votes).
“WILL hopes that the Wisconsin Supreme Court will consider the arguments we set out in our amicus curiae brief, which we will file tomorrow morning, and reject the DNC’s efforts to disenfranchise tens of thousands of Wisconsin voters,” WILL wrote in an August 22 press release.
We’d like to point out that liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz previously said, according to WPR, that she would “probably recuse herself in any case involving the Wisconsin Democratic Party, one of her major campaign donors.” The DNC is the national arm of the Democratic Party. Splitting hairs if she wouldn’t recuse herself?
Rick Esenberg, WILL President and General Counsel, stated, “This is a last-ditch effort by a political party intent on disenfranchising tens of thousands of Wisconsinites. WILL is proud to be a strong advocate of our democratic republic and believes that our state’s elections are conducted with integrity and fairness. A last-minute ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in favor of the DNC, which has no legal basis, would severely damage the trust and confidence that Wisconsinites place in their elections every day.”
WILL’s comments come after Center Square reported that Court documents reveal that the Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted the case on Thursday and is requiring the plaintiff to provide additional information. However, two conservative Supreme Court justices reacted sharply to the decision.
Skylar Croy, associate counsel at WILL, added, “WILL strongly condemns this attempt to remove the Green Party candidate from Wisconsin ballots just days before ballots are printed. They are legally wrong and their novel interpretation of a state law is baseless.”
According to WILL, “it is inappropriate to go directly to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and demand sweeping, anti-democratic relief. This clearly shows that history is repeating itself: Four years ago, the Wisconsin Elections Commission rejected the Green Party’s attempt to get on the ballot.”
WILL added: “When the Greens filed a lawsuit in the state Supreme Court, the court rejected it by a vote of 4 to 3 as untimely, saying it was too close to an election for the court to take action. The same problem exists here. And it’s just one of many procedural problems.”
WILL said: “This decision cannot be taken lightly. It is vital that the court considers the significance of such a last-minute decision and the potential to sow doubt about the election.”
WILL describes itself as “a respected and reputable litigation firm based in the state of Wisconsin.”
