Women's March in Madison

Tuesday, January 24th, 2023 -- 12:00 PM

(WMTV) Marches across the country pushed for women’s rights, most centered around abortion rights, including a march around the Capitol Building in Madison, where hundreds marched.

The National Women’s March fell 50 years after the landmark Roe V. wade decision and roughly a year after the Supreme Court overturned the decision. As the march made its way around Capitol Square, some looked to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court race, tying abortion rights to the looming primary election.

“There’s absolutely no question a case will reach the court and wait a year, it might take a year and a half, but there’s absolutely no doubt that a case will reach the Wisconsin Supreme Court asking the question,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Howard Schweber.

He says the four candidates running for the bench- two conservatives, Jennifer Dorow and Daniel Kelly, and two liberals, Everett Mitchell and Janet Protasiewicz (All are current or former judges) - will see the issue of the State’s abortion ban, putting the issue on the ballot in the Spring.

Schweber says the voter will get a chance to potentially decide which way the judges rule by determining who takes the position, first on February 21st in the primary, then on April 4th at the general election.

But he adds that due to the moderate results of state polling, the decision will still likely leave many voters behind. “None of these are particularly popular positions; of course, there may be popular locally, but none of them reflect the national majority or the majority in most Statewide polling at all,” said Schweber.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.