Wisconsin GOP's Unsupported Impeachment Threat Undermines Judicial Independence

Wisconsin's Republican-controlled legislature is threatening to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she does not recuse herself from hearing two lawsuits challenging the state's legislative maps. The GOP argues that her campaign statements and financial support from the state Democratic Party create a risk of bias. However, legal experts argue that recusal based on campaign activity is rare, and impeachment is even rarer. Wisconsin's judicial ethics code allows judges to hear cases involving campaign supporters, and past judicial impeachments have typically involved criminal acts or flagrant misdeeds. Impeaching Protasiewicz would undermine judicial independence and potentially hinder efforts to reform Wisconsin's electoral maps.