The ACLU of Wisconsin today criticized calls to impeach the newly-elected Supreme Court Justice and labeled it as an attack on the will of voters and democracy.
Dr. Melinda Brennan, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, said the following:
“Initiating a politically-motivated impeachment of a duly-elected Supreme Court Justice who took office less than two months ago would destabilize democracy and set an unprecedented standard for the future in Wisconsin. Voters made their voices heard at the ballot box this past April, and it appears that some extremist politicians in the state legislature who are displeased with the results of our free and fair election are willing to abuse their legislative authority and effectively overturn the results. Today’s announcement of the creation of a panel intended to explore the criteria for impeachment reflects the severity of this threat to democracy.
The will of the voters should always be respected, no matter who they vote for in an election. In Wisconsin, we, the people, have the power to choose our judges. When our leaders circumvent voters and manipulate the system to serve their own political interests, democracy fails.
When elected officials carry out these extreme acts, they choose to silence people who disagree with them rather than address some of our country's most pressing issues. Legislators in Wisconsin must bring any discussion of this dangerous power grab to an end and allow the decision that voters made stand.
In an era where election subversion is on the rise, the attacks on democracy happening in Wisconsin should raise alarm bells for Americans everywhere. Across the country, we are seeing increasingly authoritarian tactics being used to disenfranchise voters and delegitimize the electoral process – from baselessly ousting elected officials to election denialism to passing restrictions that make it harder to vote. It is all part of the same undemocratic project that is making our country less stable. This issue is too important and we must collectively agree that democracy must survive.”
