Chief Justice Annette Ziegler of the Wisconsin Supreme Court has called for an investigation following the leak of a draft order regarding a case brought by Planned Parenthood. The case seeks to declare access to abortion as a protected right under the state constitution.
Ziegler expressed shock over the leak of the confidential document to the press and has requested a full investigation by law enforcement. All seven justices are in support of identifying the source of the leak and condemning the breach.
Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit in February, challenging a 175-year-old state law that conservatives have interpreted as an abortion ban. This is the second abortion-related lawsuit currently before the court.
The court is also considering an appeal by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul regarding a lower court ruling on abortion laws. Republican Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski has appealed for the state Supreme Court to take up the case directly.
The draft order in the Planned Parenthood case did not address the other pending lawsuit. These abortion cases are among the most prominent before the court, which shifted to liberal control in 2023.
In addition to the abortion cases, the court has recently ruled on redistricting and heard a case related to absentee ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin. A decision on the drop box case is expected soon as the court’s term concludes next week.
