the facts and the law

While we continue to wait for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to issue a ruling on TFG's claim to total immunity, a whole bunch of other legal maneuvers are also ongoing.

There's the E. Jean Carroll 2nd defamation lawsuit, postponed both yesterday and today because of COVID (still with us after all).
There's Rudy Giuliani's attempt to use bankruptcy proceedings to avoid paying the $148 million the trial court awarded Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether Colorado can disqualify Orange Julius from the March 5 primary in that state. Meanwhile, a "Federal District Court Issues Order Explaining Why South Carolina and the SC Democratic Party Did Not Violate Cenk Uygur’s Rights in Keeping Him Off Presidential Primary Ballot." On his Election Law Blog, Richard Hasan writes "This is potentially relevant for the Trump disqualification case as an example of a state keeping an ineligible citizen off the (primary) presidential ballot."
In Georgia, where one of the RICO case defendants alleges that DA Fani Willis has been having an affair with Nathan Wade, one of the special prosecutors on her team, the judge ordered the court records of Wade's divorce proceedings unsealed. The AP reports that the "newly unsealed court records, however, didn’t include any references to the affair allegations." This matter feels like the proverbial tempest in a teapot.
And Dolt 45 still faces three felony trials (in New York City, in Washington D.C., and in Palm Beach Florida), plus a decision in the New York State fraud trial that wrapped up last week.

In more local politics, Governor Evers will give the State of the State address tonight to "lay out his priorities in front of the Republican-led Legislature, which then delivers a response." According to today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, PBS and WisEye.org will both carry it live. It's scheduled to begin at 7pm.

And in a last-minute announcement, the Wisconsin Senate is convening at 3pm this afternoon to consider passing a bill that would alter the process for creating and approving new legislative election maps. Needless to say, the proposed law, based loosely on what's known as the Iowa model, preserves the legislature's power over the maps and includes the possibility that if the Governor and the Legislature fail to agree on the maps, the process continues ad infinitum (and also ad nauseam). Seems like this is an attempt to nullify the case currently under consideration in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Tonight, of course, the GOP presidential primary is likely to end with a virtual Boss Tweet coronation. All the more reason to make sure you sign up for Grassroots North Shore's annual fundraiser with featured speaker Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a renowned international expert on the rise of authoritarianism. She's a regular presence on MSNBC and other networks as we face rising political violence and a wannabe dictator running to resume his destruction of our democracy. Our own Senator Chris Larson will join her to discuss the authoritarians in our state's government. Also, please contribute to the kitty to help Grassroots North Shore continue to fight the good fight to protect our freedoms.

We're not helpless. We're not daunted. We're not intimidated. After last Tuesday's elections, our great Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler posted on Daily Kos: The takeaways from Cheato Benito's win in Iowa and the democratic win in a Florida legislative seat currently in MAGA hands: "the GOP candidate will be MAGA. And voters, especially women, remain furious about their freedoms being taken away, and will fight like hell to get them back." He notes that Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her nationwide Reproductive Freedom tour here in Wisconsin. She gave a rousing speech which you can and should hear on YouTube.

Reproductive freedom is under attack, again, as our own MAGAites introduce a 14-week abortion ban, as MAGA national Senators and Representatives continue to pursue a nationwide abortion ban, as the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) takes up the case restricting access to Mifepristone, a decision on which will come by the end of June.

Marriage equality and contraception are also in the crosshairs. In fact, "To the Supreme Court, the 20th Century Was Wrongly Decided" Michael Podhorzer wrote on his substack last year. He argues that the court "has been instrumental in advancing this coalition's agenda, which is to dismantle the New Deal order and reverse the civil and social rights gains made since the postwar period." The country we want to live in, the country we thought we were living in, the country we want our children and grandchildren to inherit from us is under siege from every angle — political, judicial, and economic. We have to RESIST and REFORM in any way we can.

The Events list, of course, offers you some opportunities to learn what you can do. But here's another. As a response to Republicans attempting to ban books around the state, Swing Left Milwaukee in conjunction with the WisDems and the Milwaukee County Democratic Party are doing a “Books For Kids” drive focusing on the books Republicans are trying to ban, such as “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Once collected books will be distributed through the Next Door Foundation to disadvantaged children. If you do not have books to donate please consider a donation to the Next Door Foundation. You can also order books from Amazon sent directly to the foundation. Just visit the Next Door Foundation website and click on the donate button. Five drop sites are located throughout Milwaukee County:

Milwaukee County Dems Office, 2999 S Delaware Ave Bay View, Monday through Wednesday 10am - 2pm
WisDems Coordinated Campaign Office, 8405 W Lisbon Ave, Monday through Friday, 12 - 6pm
Volunteer Porch with Receptacle, 613 E Oklahoma Ave, Bay View
Volunteer Porch With Receptacle, 1411 17 Ave, South Milwaukee
Volunteer Porch With Receptacle, 1879 N Cambridge Ave, Milwaukee
Porch drop off anytime

EVENTS

Tuesday, January 23

Supermarket Legends UWM Voter Registration, shifts from 10:00am - 4:00pm
UWM Library
If you are able to help, email Sue Schneidler.

Join Aaron Lipski, Fire Chief, to Support Peter Burgelis for Alderman! 5:30 - 7:00pm
POP, 124 W National Ave, Milwaukee
The Chief Officers' Association for Milwaukee Fire Department has endorsed Peter Burgelis for District 11 Alderman. Join us for a fun fundraiser to support Peter's campaign for Alderman. Can we count on you to make a $25 or $50 contribution to ensure Peter can share his message to each voter in the 11th District? Join Aaron Lipski, Fire Chief, and other supporters! Appetizers provided, cash bar available. RSVP and/or donate.

WisDems Voter Protection Kickoff, 6:00 - 7:00pm
Virtual
Join the WisDems Voter Protection Team — and special guest, WisDems Chair Ben Wikler — in kicking off our 2024 program on January 23rd at 6pm CT on Zoom! We'll hear from Chair Wikler about what's at stake in 2024, share our plans to protect voting rights across the state, and explain all the ways you can get involved in the fight for democracy in 2024. Sign up.

Thursday, January 25

WISDOM Elections 2024 Training, 6:30pm
Zoom
In order to prepare for the upcoming 2024 elections, WISDOM is excited to have relaunched School of Democracy last September! The fourth event in our series is a training with our affiliate, FREE's Director Peggy West-Schroder on State Elections on January 25 at 6:30 p.m. CT through Zoom. Come learn about important upcoming elections, what's at stake for 2024 and how you can make a difference by using your voting power. Register.

Friday, January 26

League of Women Voters Cafe, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Milwaukee Public Library East Branch Study Room 115, 2320 N Cramer St, Milwaukee
League Cafe meets monthly and welcomes League members old and new, as well as community members. In a small group setting, we get to know each other better, share knowledge and have interesting conversations. In rotating months, we meet as a general discussion group, and in opposite months, convene as a book club to discuss noteworthy books on racial equity, immigration and/or voting. No registration is necessary.

Saturday, January 27

Community Brainstorming Conference, 8:00am - 12:pm
St. Matthew C.M.E. Church, 2944 N 9th St, Milwaukee or Zoom
Breakfast at 8am | Discussion at 9am. The topic for this meeting is "The State of Mental Health in our Community."

Shorewood Dems Team Building Textbank, 9:30 - 11:00am
4516 N Newhall St, Shorewood
Join the Shorewood Dems for our team building textbank! We'll be getting together to get training on texting our friends to grow our team. You are invited to stay and text, enjoy snacks and a "cuppa" as we work together to expand Shorewood Dems. Sign up.

Stand for Peace, 12:00 - 1:00pm
76th and North Ave, Milwaukee
Stand for Peace demonstrates for peace at a different intersection in Milwaukee County every Saturday.

Tuesday, January 30

League of Women Voters Candidate Forum Support, 6:00 - 8:00pm
Virtual
Candidate forum season is officially underway! The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County provides facilitation services for Candidate Forums. We need volunteers in the roles of moderator, timer, greeter, and question sorter and forum coordinator. This training will introduce you to all of these roles and you can signup to help with Forums already planned and be ready to help with more as they are scheduled. Registration and Event Link.

Thursday, February 1

Registration at Urban League Drivers Training Classes, Various
Milwaukee Urban League, 435 W North Ave, Milwaukee
Supermarket Legends have a new opportunity to answer questions about voting and to help with voter registration on the last days of the spring drivers training classes at the Milwaukee Urban League, 435 West North Avenue. We need volunteers to be available on February 1 at 1:30pm. If you can help, contact Linea Sundstrom.

Saturday, February 3

WisDems 60 Days to Victory Canvass, shifts beginning at 9:00am and 12:00pm
4516 N Newhall St
Join the Shorewood Dems for our 60 Days to Victory Canvass! We'll be getting together 60 Days out from the April election to knock on doors and mobilize our neighbors to vote in February, April, and beyond. First time canvassing? No problem! We will give you a thorough training and all of the materials you need to have effective conversations with voters. Sign up.

WisDems 60 Days to Victory Friendbank, various times and North Shore communities.
Join the North Shore Dems for our 60 Days to Victory Friendbank! We'll be getting together to learn how to activate and engage our networks using the Reach app for relational organizing. Join us to text our networks to hear what issues matter to them and to make plans to vote for Democrats up and down the ticket in 2024!

Fox Point, 7632 N Beach Dr, 10:00 - 11:00am: Sign up
Glendale, 6563 N Crestwood Dr, 4:00 - 6:00pm: Sign up
Whitefish Bay, 4845 N Newhall St, 12:30 - 2:00pm: Sign up

Stand for Peace, 12:00 - 1:00pm
27th and National Ave, Milwaukee
Stand for Peace demonstrates for peace at a different intersection in Milwaukee County every Saturday.

Sunday, February 4

Grassroots North Shore presents: Authoritarian Candidates in the Nation and in Wisconsin, 5:00 - 6:30pm
Zoom
Are We Dealing with Rising Fascism? Our featured speaker, Ruth Ben-Giat, Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, examines how illiberal leaders use corruption, violence, propaganda, and machismo to stay in power, and how resistance to them has unfolded over a century. Senator Chris Larson will discuss Wisconsin's own local versions of strongmen who threaten democracy. Can we unseat them and restore balance and democracy to the state? RSVP here. This event is the Annual Fundraiser for Grassroots North Shore. So please donate to keep our virtual doors open: Donate.

SAVE THE DATE

Thursday, February 8

Milwaukee Press Club Newsmaker Luncheon, 11:45am - 1:30pm
Newsroom Pub, 137 E. Wells St., Milwaukee
Craig Gilbert, former Washington bureau chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and current Lubar Fellow at Marquette University Law School, will be the guest speaker. Gilbert, who has covered every presidential campaign since 1988, also has written extensively about competition for the swing states of the industrial Midwest, the region’s shifting political map, its increasingly polarized political culture and the deepening urban-rural divide. His work has been recognized by Editor & Publisher, the National Press Foundation, the National Headliner Awards, the Milwaukee Press Club, and the Columbia Journalism Review. He has continued to provide that analysis in his work at the Lubar Center since retiring from the Journal Sentinel in 2022. The cost to attend is $25 for MPC members, $30 for non-members and $20 for students. Lunch is included. Seating is limited. Advanced registration and payment are required and may be done online.

Saturday, February 10

Laughing Liberally Milwaukee, 8:00 - 10:00pm
Comedy Sportz, 420 S 1st St, Milwaukee
With right wing attacks on LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, voting rights and more, we need progressive laughs now more than ever. That’s why we’re excited to present Laughing Liberally Milwaukee, a monthly progressive political comedy show featuring Milwaukee’s top liberal and progressive comedians. Comedians on the February 10th bill include Kristin Lytie, Maros Lara, Sasha Rosser, Josh Fred and sketch comedy troupe The Accountants Of Homeland Security. In addition to some of the finest progressive comedians Milwaukee has to offer, each Laughing Liberally Milwaukee features a special interview with a local activist, journalist, or political figure. This month’s guest is Tomika Vukovic from Wisconsin Voices. Laughing Liberally Milwaukee is hosted by comedian, cartoonist and satirist Matthew Filipowicz. Buy tickets ($8).

Saturday, February 17

Get Out the Vote - Spring Primary, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Help connect with Ozaukee County voters ahead of the February 20 Spring Primary Election. You can contact us at Oz Dems Events.

Sunday, February 18

Get Out the Vote - Spring Primary, shifts begin at 12:00 and 3:00pm
6563 N Crestwood Dr, Glendale
Join Grassroots Glendale as we get out the vote for the February primary! We'll be reaching out to our networks to make vote plans. This is a great opportunity to encourage regular voting and help out our likeminded local candidates! Sign up.