Roe v. Wade leak fallout; political maps; Tim Michels -- part-time east coaster

Roe v. Wade leak fallout

It was the leak heard 'round the nation.

With stunning speed, fall political races in Wisconsin and elsewhere were transformed by the shocking leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion indicating the nation's highest court may be poised to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion.

The court's final ruling could still be different. But the stakes of the state's two big races — for governor and U.S. Senate — are now in sharp focus.

Abortion is on the ballot.

We check in on the fallout.

Republicans excoriated the leak but were hopeful that the court would overturn Roe v. Wade. Democrats were shaken yet vowed to redouble efforts to make political gains in the fall.

On the legal front, Patrick Marley reports that Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul said he would not enforce a potential ban on abortion in Wisconsin as one of his Republican opponents signaled he would be ready to do so.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said law enforcement shouldn’t be thrown into deciding whether to charge doctors who perform abortions.

And here's a primer on Wisconsin's abortion laws.

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Political maps

Everything you want to know about political redistricting and were afraid to ask can be found here as Patrick Marley takes you through the intricacies of the once-a-decade exercise in political power.

This is Wisconsin. So it's a little complicated.

Meanwhile, Craig Gilbert analyzes the Legislative maps.

Let's just say it's not all that tough to make the call on how many seats Republicans, who control the Legislature, will win in the fall.

Gilbert writes: "Republicans will win 63 of the state’s 99 Assembly seats this fall (give or take a seat)."

You can read his analysis here.

Tim Michels — part-time east coaster

For anyone running for governor in Wisconsin it's not a good look when stories start appearing with details about your homes in ... checks notes ... Connecticut and New York.

But that's what Republican Tim Michels faced this week with a story first reported Sunday on the conservative website Wisconsin Right Now.

As Molly Beck followed up, Michels spent the last decade living part-time in Manhattan and Connecticut, where his children attended school.

Beck writes: "Michels, a co-owner of the Brownsville-based Michels Corp. who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, said Monday he calls the Waukesha County lake country community Chenequa home but also has split his time for the last nine years on the east coast."

As Wisconsin Right Now reported, Michels and his wife purchased a $17 million estate in Greenwich, Connecticut in 2020.

There's more to the story, including Michels defending his ties to the Badger State.

You can read it here.

Can a non-prosecutor become Attorney General?

Daniel Bice has an interesting read on Adam Jarchow, the former state representative who is running in the Republican primary for attorney general.

Bice writes:

"Not only does the Balsam Lake Republican not have any major cases he's prosecuted, but the 43-year-old attorney has never handled a criminal case in his career.

"Now Jarchow, owner of his own law firm, is asking the voters to elect him attorney general later this year — a job that has been won by someone with prosecutorial experience over the past 60 years in Wisconsin.

"His Republican opponent, Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney, is trying to make a point of Jarchow's lack of experience in criminal court. The two are running for the right to challenge the Democratic incumbent, Attorney General Josh Kaul."

You can read the full article here.

Around the horn

Gov. Tony Evers makes third judicial appointment in conservative Washington County.

Days after Robin Vos extended Wisconsin's election review, Michael Gableman stands with the Assembly speaker's critics in the GOP.

Rebecca Kleefisch ignored problems with Wisconsin's unemployment system, former workforce development secretary says.

Ex-Justice Daniel Kelly calls Brian Hagedorn "supremely unreliable" as he considers pursuing a return to Wisconsin's high court,

Tweet of the week

Former CBS newscaster Dan Rather weighs in on the Supreme Court leak and the fight over abortion: "The story is the end of Roe and the radicalism it represents. The leak is a plot point. We can’t lose track of the big picture."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Roe v. Wade leak fallout; Tim Michels part-time east coaster