{"id":5539,"date":"2023-09-12T03:18:45","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T03:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=5539"},"modified":"2023-09-12T04:02:21","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T04:02:21","slug":"recuse-janet-protasiewiczs-campaign-strategists-deep-fair-maps-ties-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=5539","title":{"rendered":"RECUSE: Janet Protasiewicz\u2019s Campaign Strategist\u2019s Deep \u2018Fair Maps\u2019 Ties Exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.wisconsinrightnow.com\/sachin-chheda\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The U.S. Constitution holds that a judge \u201cmust recuse if they have a financial interest in the case, or if there is a strong possibility of bias.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz\u2019s senior campaign strategist helped found and co-chaired a prominent \u201cfair maps\u201d coalition with ties to petitioners and a law firm representing petitioners in the pending redistricting case before the court, spurring new bias concerns as Republicans call for her recusal.<\/p>\n

Through the coalition and a second group, Sachin Chheda has been extensively involved for years in leading the efforts in Wisconsin to get the courts to undo the Republican legislative maps that are the very issue now before the court. He was chairman and co-founder of the Fair Maps Coalition and Fair Elections Project, both devoted to that effort.<\/p>\n

In addition, Protasiewicz prejudged the cases in comments on the campaign trail, calling the maps \u201crigged\u201d and \u201cunfair\u201d in favor of Republicans in language that closely mirrors the verbiage of Chheda and his groups, who have railed about the Republican maps. Republicans have filed a motion<\/a> to force her recusal, arguing that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin contributed nearly $10 million to her campaign. \u201cShe invited a legal challenge to replace them,\u201d the Republican brief says, adding that she \u201crevealed how she would
\ndecide it,\u201d saying: \u201cIf you look at the dissent in that maps case, that dissent is what I
\nwill tell you I agree with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just hours after Justice Protasiewicz was inaugurated, left-leaning groups filed an original action petition asking the Supreme Court to throw out the current legislative maps and redraw the lines based on provisions in state law.<\/p>\n

This has long been Chheda\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cSachin Chheda, a Democratic political strategist and adviser to Protasiewicz\u2019s campaign, acknowledged that a Protasiewicz win could lead to the court tossing out the 1849 abortion ban and the current legislative maps,\u201d the liberal outlet, Wisconsin Watch, wrote in March.<\/a><\/p>\n

On March 1, 2023, Protasiewicz\u2019s campaign paid Nation Consulting, where Chheda worked, $35,000. On Feb. 4, 2023, the campaign paid Nation Consulting $20,000.<\/p>\n

Although he presents that he\u2019s after non-partisan maps even while railing against the Republican maps, Chheda is a relentless anti-Republican partisan on social media. \u201cWhat a douchebag liar,\u201d he posted on X recently of a respected conservative lawyer. \u201cWatch my testimony from the farcical hearing on the maps last year, yes the GOP has a small geographic advantage, but not a freakin\u2019 supermajority when the vote is close to 50\/50.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The U.S. Constitution holds that<\/a> a judge \u201cmust recuse if they have a financial interest in the case, or if there is a strong possibility of bias<\/strong>.\u201d State judicial conduct codes hold that a judge must recuse when \u201cthe judge has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party or a party\u2019s lawyer or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

The code also says a judge should recuse if they \u201cmade a public statement that commits, or appears to commit, the judge with respect to \u201can issue in the proceeding\u201d or \u201cthe controversy in the proceeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consider:<\/p>\n