Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down State’s Pre-Civil War Abortion Ban

The ruling underscored the importance of a pair of bitterly contested recent elections for seats on the high court.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul addresses the media at the state Department of Justice headquarters in Madison Wednesday. Todd Richmond/AP

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban, with the liberal majority ruling in a 4-3 decision that the 1849 law in question had been superseded by more recent statutes.

The ruling underscored the importance of a pair of recent elections for seats on the high court that were bitterly contested and later became the most expensive in the country’s history for judicial positions.

Both were won by liberal-leaning judges — Janet Protasiewicz and Susan Crawford — whose bids were fueled by a massive Democratic turnout and unprecedented fundraising successes for off-year spring elections.