Family feud: Outgoing Wisconsin Supreme Court justice’s daughter slams conservative

A prominent family in Wisconsin is getting involved in the state’s ongoing Supreme Court election. Ellen Brostrom, a judge since 2009 and daughter of outgoing Justice Patience Roggensack, has spoken out against the current conservative nominee, former Justice Daniel Kelly. While Roggensack had endorsed someone else during the February primary, she has largely avoided commenting on Kelly’s campaign.

Brostrom, on the other hand, has written an editorial calling Kelly “unfit” to serve on the state’s highest court and instead supporting Judge Janet Protasiewicz for the upcoming election on April 4. This election is the most expensive state Supreme Court race in US history and could have an impact on future presidential races as well as on Wisconsin’s policy.

In her editorial published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brostrom wrote that “Instead of supporting our constitutional rights, however, Kelly has worked to undermine the Constitution and our democracy.” Kelly has faced criticism for his involvement in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results following his loss to President Joe Biden.

Despite Brostrom’s criticism, Kelly has received endorsements from multiple other judges, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, who spoke highly of his commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring the judicial branch of the government does not overstep its constitutional bounds.

The upcoming election will determine the ideological makeup of the court on various issues such as abortion, gerrymandering, and election laws.