![Hakeem Jeffries](https://static.notus.org/dims4/default/dc86b2b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3378+0+0/resize/1000x563!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa2%2Fc6%2F59a4ee304b25806f9faf1ae4b610%2Fcongress-ukraine-israel-24110633633528.jpg)
While fellow party leaders deflected on Biden’s age, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries called for all hands on deck to recover from Thursday’s debate.
From Today’s Newsletter
From the Notebook
![Janet Protasiewicz](https://static.notus.org/dims4/default/8609084/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3378+0+0/resize/1000x563!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F34%2Fb0%2F3ee16ae84d629266f76df8f9977a%2Fwisconsin-supreme-court-23333022657300.jpg)
Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court will hear a Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin lawsuit asking the court to declare access to abortion a right protected by the state Constitution, according to a draft court order obtained by WisconsinWatch.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden hadn’t heard the news. But after NOTUS shared it with him, he said, “I would not be surprised if they have already baked the cake” on any potential ruling in the case.
He called the court “incredibly biased and liberal.”
Van Orden’s particularly unhappy with Justice Janet Protasiewicz, elected last year, who cemented the court’s liberal majority.
“If these ‘justices’ are deciding how they’re going to vote and rule prior to hearing a case, they don’t belong on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court, or any court for that matter,” Van Orden said.
Protasiewicz ran ads during her campaign on abortion. In her very first commercial, she said, “I believe in a woman’s freedom to make her own decision on abortion.” Her conservative opponent at the time, Dan Kelly, had previously worked for the anti-abortion group Wisconsin Right to Life. Van Orden acknowledged Kelly as “not the best candidate.”
But Van Orden noted that her win was helped by the fact that, in his words, “Republicans don’t vote in April,” which is the seasonal election for the SCOWIS judges. Wisconsin has another Supreme Court election next year, once more for the ideological majority, and Van Orden is encouraging Republican voters to take this as a sign to turn out in 2025.
“If you don’t vote, you don’t get a say. I don’t want to hear you complaining. Did you vote? No? Well, then go sit over in the corner,” he said.
— Nuha Dolby is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden hadn’t heard the news. But after NOTUS shared it with him, he said, “I would not be surprised if they have already baked the cake” on any potential ruling in the case.
He called the court “incredibly biased and liberal.”
Van Orden’s particularly unhappy with Justice Janet Protasiewicz, elected last year, who cemented the court’s liberal majority.
“If these ‘justices’ are deciding how they’re going to vote and rule prior to hearing a case, they don’t belong on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court, or any court for that matter,” Van Orden said.
Protasiewicz ran ads during her campaign on abortion. In her very first commercial, she said, “I believe in a woman’s freedom to make her own decision on abortion.” Her conservative opponent at the time, Dan Kelly, had previously worked for the anti-abortion group Wisconsin Right to Life. Van Orden acknowledged Kelly as “not the best candidate.”
But Van Orden noted that her win was helped by the fact that, in his words, “Republicans don’t vote in April,” which is the seasonal election for the SCOWIS judges. Wisconsin has another Supreme Court election next year, once more for the ideological majority, and Van Orden is encouraging Republican voters to take this as a sign to turn out in 2025.
“If you don’t vote, you don’t get a say. I don’t want to hear you complaining. Did you vote? No? Well, then go sit over in the corner,” he said.
— Nuha Dolby is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
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White House
Jan 17, 2024
Biden Slaps Down The DNC
The White House was not so amused by the DNC’s snarky tweet about Asa Hutchinson’s ill-fated presidential bid. (The offending DNC comment: “This news comes as a shock to those of us who could’ve sworn he had already dropped out.”) White House chief of staff Jeff Zients called Hutchinson to apologize and Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden has “deep respect” for the governor.