(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is asking former members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for guidance on the possible impeachment of Justice Janet Protasiewicz.
Vos told News Talk 1130 WISN’s Jay Weber on Wednesday he is not “foaming at the mouth” to impeach Protasiewicz. He said he’d rather not impeach her at all.
“I am asking a panel of former members of the state Supreme Court to review and advise what the criteria are for impeachment,” Vos said. “And to be able to go to the next step of this process if we’re not able to determine an off path.”
Republicans continue to ask Protasiewicz to recuse herself from redistricting and abortion cases because of what she said during the campaign for the high court.
“Just yesterday, Janet Protasiewicz recused herself on a case, that is totally frivolous, from a liberal activist that says we don’t have the power to impeach,” Vos said. “Because it directly affects her, she recused. That’s what we think should happen when you go and campaign, saying ‘I’ve already made a decision on a court case, and I’m going to rule a certain way. You have to recuse.”
Democrats have accused Vos of wanting to impeach Protasiewicz for political gain.
“If anyone should be impeached, it would be every [Wisconsin] GOP legislator who corruptly initiates and votes for the unconstitutional impeachment of Justice Protasiewicz,” Rep. Marisabel Cabrera, D-Milwaukee, said Tuesday. “Republicans were not able to use The Big Lie to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election results and they should not be able to use bigger lies to illegally overturn our 2023 state supreme court election results.”
Vos said he wants to hear from the former justices about the options for lawmakers.
“They’re making it seem like I am foaming at the mouth to have an impeachment process, and that is the last thing I want,” Vos said.
Vos is not saying which former members of the court he is looking to for advice. He is also not saying when the panel will meet, or if there is a deadline for their advice. He did say that the panel will not meet in public, he says he doesn’t want the process to become a public spectacle.
