We are not seeing nearly as much political spending on this year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race as we have in past years because ideological control of the court is not at stake this year, but don’t think for a moment that this means Tuesday’s election doesn’t matter. Let’s talk about the big picture. 

It’s easy to focus on any single election and fail to appreciate how its outcome fits into the larger mosaic of our politics.

For example, John Kerry and Michael Dukakis didn’t excite a lot of voters — but some of those same voters sure got excited years later over US Supreme Court decisions made by Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito — justices who wouldn’t have been appointed by presidents whose last name wasn’t Bush. 

At the state level, how many more “Act 10’s” would be out there without Gov. Tony Evers and his veto pen, if Scott Walker had won a third term? Or consider how many of Evers’ vetoes would have been overridden if a few more districts had created a Republican super-majority in the Assembly and Senate because voters focused only on the short-term significance of their local legislative race.

That’s why this week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race matters. Tuesday’s winner will serve a ten-year term and there’s no telling when that justice will be a swing vote in a more closely divided court.

In politics, not every puzzle piece can be the most important one in the moment, but you don’t want to be missing a piece that becomes vital later on. So go vote – protect your puzzle pieces!

Don’t forget to scroll down for our Question of the Week about Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden’s jaunt to Scotland during a partial government shutdown.

Have a great week — and remember to stay up to date with our social media posts.

The Legislature’s regular session is done, but Gov. Tony Evers is still in the process of signing or vetoing the bills sent to him. Here’s a summary of three vetoes from this past week.

1️⃣   Evers calls BS on Trump election takeover  – Noting “this is bullshit,” Gov. Tony Evers said he’s taking President Donald Trump to court over an election takeover effort Evers says is clearly illegal. Trump called for a national registry of registered voters by way of executive order. The US Constitution makes clear that election administration is left to the states and Wisconsin is a national leader in elections that are free, fair, and accurate.

2️⃣  Governor says ‘Hell No’ to anti-trans bills – While vetoing five bills that would have put various restrictions on transgender individuals, Evers told a private gathering he would have liked to put “Hell No” in his veto message, but said he went with “not approved” instead, according to WPR. Evers used International Trans Day of Visibility to nix restrictions on school sports participation, name and pronoun use, and accessing age-appropriate medical information or care. Evers has repeatedly promised to “veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids.”

3️⃣  Voucher veto – Wisconsin’s first-in-the-nation voucher school program has grown from a small Milwaukee experiment 30 years ago to a statewide behemoth costing taxpayers more than $700 million a year — which explains why Evers wasn’t shy about vetoing a Republican bill demanding that he join Trump’s new national plan to put more tax dollars into private schools. 

“This nationwide voucher program has no student achievement metrics,” Evers said. “No school accountability measures, no minimum or maximum scholarship size, no certain end date, and no cap on how much the federal government can spend. Republicans in Washington have given private voucher expansion carte blanche to run roughshod over public education in this country—and a blank check to do so at taxpayer expense, clearly without any regard for whether it actually does what is best for kids.”

Local news is essential for democracy.

Our reporting cuts through false narratives, documents what’s actually happening in our communities, and provides voters with the clear, factual information they need—especially when the stakes are high.

Just because you’ve cut millions of people off their food aid doesn’t mean you’ve erased the need.

US Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) calls out the US Agriculture Secretary for claiming she’s “restoring dignity” to people who aren’t sure how they’ll feed their families this week.

⏮️ Last Week: What are your top three issues?

No big surprises here. We’ll look back on 2026 as a year when Americans were rightly concerned about authoritarianism and whether our democracy has enough safeguards to withstand the current assault.

Closer to home, issues of affordability, especially around health care, concern most of us.

(Percent of respondents who listed each issue in their top three.)

Threats to democracy 70%

Health insurance/health care 44%

Inflation/Cost of living/Economy 40%

Public schools: More support 31%

Wars and potential wars 30%

Immigration: Limit ICE overreach 29%

Abortion: Protecting access 15%

Other (enter your answer here): 10%

Guns: Limiting access   8%

Housing affordability   6%

Allegations of voter fraud   3%

Immigration: More deportations   3%

Guns: Defending current access   2%

Public schools: More financial limits   2%

Abortion: Limiting access   1%

To the roughly 3% of our readers whose priority issues are not at the top of this list: We’re glad you’re here and feel like this is a place to express your views and you are open to others challenging the way you see things right now. We should all have such a well-rounded media diet. 

⏭️ This Week: Congressional travel: Junk it?

US Rep. Derrick Van Orden and colleagues from both parties are learning a real-time lesson in shutdown politics while Americans struggle with high prices, healthcare cuts, and long lines at airports. Van Orden was part of a gaggle of tourists photographed outside a castle in Scotland that was shared by TMZ. 

The official trip was approved months ago, but such trips are usually canceled during government shutdowns — full or partial — to avoid this kind of visual: politicians on a taxpayer-funded trip while some workers with the Department of Homeland Security continued working without a paycheck.

So, was it essential travel or a junket?

If you get a pop-up window asking for your email address, go ahead and enter it even though you’re clearly already a subscriber. You can also email me your thoughts directly at pat@couriernewsroom.com. Thank you!

There will be plenty of activities after Tuesday’s spring election around Wisconsin, but this weekend’s calendar is all about getting out the vote — so here’s a link for both political and non-political events around Wisconsin that we hope will give you ideas for ways to get out there and do something… something to make a difference or just something fun!

Have an event to add? Email State Organizing Coordinator, Abigail Deatrick, abigail@couriernewsroom.com with details (please send details at least one week before the event).

📱 Remember, you can stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Instagram and TikTok.

🏁 Thanks for reading our update.

Have a great week!