Far-left Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz wears the “progressive label” as a badge of honor, including her endorsement by the left-wing Human Rights Campaign PAC.
But reports that the Milwaukee County judge repeatedly abused her late elderly ex-husband when the couple were married 25 years ago and used the N-word to refer to black people in children’s court would seem to tarnish Protasiewicz’s human rights halo.
The HRC PAC described Protasiewicz as a “pro-equality” candidate.
But as first reported by Wisconsin Right Now, two eyewitnesses told the conservative publication that they saw Protasiewicz physically abuse Milwaukee County Judge Patrick J. Madden, her then-husband who was 70 at the time, when she was a 34-year-old Milwaukee County assistant district attorney.
Jonathan Ehr, 65, a long-time friend of the Madden family, told the publication he saw Protasiewicz “push and shove” Judge Madden. He also said Madden had injuries on his face that were caused by Protasiewicz. The former Milwaukee restaurant and bar owner claimed he didn’t think Protasiewicz was trying purposely to hurt the judge but that she didn’t appreciate that he was an elderly man. Ehr said the physical contact was forceful enough to injure the judge.
Michael Madden, Protasiewicz’s former stepson, also told WRN he saw Protasiewicz slap the judge on the face with an open hand and push him.
Madden and Erh also told WRN that they heard Protasiewicz use racial slurs to refer to blacks involved in court cases while she was a Milwaukee County prosecutor. Madden told the publication in a video interview that he recalls her using the N-word to refer to parents of black children in Children’s Court cases and also called them “lowlifes.” At another point, he said she also referred to criminal defendants as the “N-word.”
Clarence P. Nicholas, president of the NAACP-Milwaukee, told WRN this week that he’d like to see Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm’s response to whether he’ll launch an investigation into the allegations that Protasiewicz used racial slurs as a prosecutor.
Protasiewicz reportedly has not returned WRN’s request for comment.
Her campaign has not returned multiple requests for comment from The Wisconsin Daily Star.
The liberal judge is running against conservative former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly in the critical April 4 election to decide whether conservatives or liberals control the state’s high court. Nationally watched, the race is by far the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history, with left-wing money pouring in from all corners of the country.
The Human Rights Campaign, the “nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization,” in a statement, said it’s “proud to endorse Janet Protasiewicz for Wisconsin Supreme Court.”
“The outcome of this election will not only decide the makeup of the Supreme Court, but also determine if pro-equality candidates can stop discriminatory anti-LGBTQ+ bills from becoming law,” the PAC, which also is endorsing a Democrat candidate for an open State Senate seat, said. “We have a long history of fighting for LGBTQ+ equality here in Wisconsin and our work continues with this election in April.”
HRC PAC did not respond to The Daily Star’s email regarding the human rights abuse violations lodged against Protasiewicz.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
Photo “Janet Protasiewicz” by Janet for Justice. Background Photo “Wisconsin Supreme Court” by Daderot. CC0 1.0.
