Abortion rights at stake in Wisconsin Supreme Court election

Wisconsin voters on Tuesday will decide which state Supreme Court candidates will advance to an April election that carries profound consequences for abortion rights, control of the state government and the 2024 presidential election.

Four candidates – two liberals and two conservatives – are on the ballot, with the top two finishers moving on to a one-on-one matchup in April that will determine whether a right-wing or left-wing majority controls the state’s seven-member high court.

The newly constituted court will likely decide whether to uphold the state’s 1849 near-total abortion ban that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade, eliminating a national right to abortion.

The court may also re-examine the state’s Republican-drawn legislative maps, which have helped the party maintain dominance over the legislature despite a closely divided electorate. And the justices could issue election law rulings that affect the outcome of the 2024 presidential race, when Wisconsin is expected to be a swing state.

“The stakes in this race for Wisconsin and for American democracy at large can’t be overstated,” Ben Wikler, the chair of the state’s Democratic Party, said in an interview.