OPINION:
Janet Protasiewicz should not be serving on any court, let alone the highest court in the state of Wisconsin. Shockingly, with help from massive amounts of out-of-state money, she could be elected to a full term as a justice next week.
Despite her financial advantage and media bias in her favor, Ms. Protasiewicz is ahead of former Justice Dan Kelly by only 2 points. The reason? She is weak on crime, and word is finally getting out to the voters.
As a circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, No Jail Janet (as I call her) has consistently handed down decisions that threaten public safety in Wisconsin. The latest case involves a convicted domestic abuser with a long criminal record who had his sentence suspended and went on to kill two people.
Matthew J. Neumann was found guilty of killing two people and burning their bodies on a remote property in East Troy, Wisconsin. Before the killings, he was found guilty of drunken driving several times and pleaded guilty to endangering safety with a gun while intoxicated, disorderly conduct and domestic abuse.
Ms. Protasiewicz suspended Neumann’s 18-month prison term and placed him on probation for two years. Six months later, while still on probation, Neumann was accused of stealing property and convicted of a misdemeanor. A different judge noted that Neumann had been cited for helping a woman burn her former boyfriend’s car and denied the request to modify the sentence. Less than a year later, Neumann killed two of his employees.
Ms. Protasiewicz is weak on crime. Electing her to the Wisconsin Supreme Court would threaten the safety of the citizens in my state.
Sadly, there are many more stories about how awful Ms. Protasiewicz is on law and order. Jovian Reese, 23, was convicted of sexually assaulting his cousin. Even though she could have given him 10 years in prison, Ms. Protasiewicz sentenced him to 14 months.
In a similar case, Nicholas J. Grzybowski sexually assaulted his 13-year-old niece while she was sleeping. Prosecutors wanted Grzybowski to receive three to five years in prison followed by seven years of extended supervision for his crime. Instead, Ms. Protasiewicz gave him only three years’ imprisonment with credit for 65 days already served and five months of extended supervision.
Sadly, these cases are part of a pattern of weak sentencing by Ms. Protasiewicz. In a rational world, she would be voted out of office. In a world funded by George Soros, she is the front-runner for the state Supreme Court. Tragically, there are countless horror stories of her judicial negligence.
Robert Guzinski raped a woman who was a military veteran in the alley of a tavern. He eventually pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual assault. No Jail Janet could have given this cruel rapist 10 years in prison. Instead, she gave him just 2½ years, with credit for time served in jail.
Amazingly, she said to the rapist at sentencing: “Is probation appropriate for you, given the fact that you have so many pro-social characteristics? And I weigh that very, very carefully. It’s not an easy call, Mr. Guzinski. As much as part of me would like to place you on probation, I just can’t do that. It’s not a probationary case.”
Like so many “woke” jurists these days, Ms. Protasiewicz seems to have more empathy for hardened criminals than for their victims. The guy brutally raped someone, and the judge thinks he has “pro-social characteristics”? Give me a break.
Then there is the case of John Spivey. He repeatedly punched his 79-year-old aunt in the face, suffocated her with a pillow until she passed out, and raped her in her apartment. At his sentencing, Ms. Protasiewicz credited the accused for taking “some responsibility” by pleading guilty to those charges.
Spivey could have been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his crimes. Despite his extensive criminal record, Ms. Protasiewicz sentenced him to a total of five years and gave him credit for the year and a half he had already served prior to sentencing.
These are just a few examples of the troubling trend seen in the courtroom of Ms. Protasiewicz. She has earned the nickname No Jail Janet for her horrible track record of going soft on men who rape minors, old people and veterans.
In a sane world, Ms. Protasiewicz would never serve on any court. Voters in Wisconsin have a responsibility to ensure she does not sit on the highest court in the state. They can join me in voting for the choice of law enforcement, respected Justice Dan Kelly, for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019.
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