Court Orders Former Judge Roggensack To Produce Records Used To Advise Vos On Impeachment

The Dane County Courthouse on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Madison, Wis. Angela Major, WPR

A Dane County judge has ordered former conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Patience Roggensack to turn over records related to her work advising Republicans on the possibility of impeaching newly-elected liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz.

The order released Friday from Circuit Court Judge Frank Remington is the latest development in a lawsuit filed by the liberal watchdog group American Oversight, seeking transparency about the work of a panel of three former conservative justices convened by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

Vos has said he convened the group to study the possibility of impeachment proceedings against Protasiewicz, a liberal who won election to the state Supreme Court earlier this year by a whopping 11 percentage points.

American Oversight filed a lawsuit in September, arguing that Vos’ impeachment panel violated Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Act by not holding public meetings. In October, the group amended its complaint to include allegations that the panel violated the state’s Open Records law.

American Oversight obtained records from former justices David Prosser and Jon Wilcox, including records showing Prosser had advised Vos against impeachment. Wilcox told the Associated Press he also advised against impeachment.

But attorneys with American Oversight say they are still waiting for records requested from Roggensack. Under a writ of mandamus from Remington, she will be required to produce the requested records to American Oversight within 30 days.

“It is concerning to see a former official of such high public office go to such great lengths to avoid answering questions about their actions,” American Oversight’s Executive Director Heather Sawyer said in a statement. “Judge Remington’s order confirms Wisconsin’s longstanding commitment to government transparency and we look forward to getting more information to the public about Speaker Vos’s impeachment efforts.”

Vos and other GOP lawmakers have floated the possibility of pursuing impeachment proceedings against Protasiewicz by citing her refusal to recuse herself from cases they argue she has “prejudged.” As a candidate for the court, Protasiewicz referred to Wisconsin’s Republican-drawn legislative map as “rigged,” but she has declined to recuse herself from a lawsuit challenging the map, saying the law requires her to hear the case.

Judge orders former conservative justice to produce records from work advising Vos on impeachment was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio