(RepublicanNews.org) – A liberal and a conservative are battling for election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the contest may rely on voters’ preference for how to deal with violent criminals.
Wisconsin judge Janet Protasiewicz is running against conservative Dan Kelly, who is himself a former WI Supreme Court justice. Kelly has criticized his opponent for being soft on crime and for sympathizing with violent criminals.
Protasiewicz’s judicial record seems to confirm this accusation. For example, 42-year-old Robert Guzinski was convicted after being accused of anally and vaginally raping a female military veteran on the hood of her car in a bar alleyway in 2019. The victim testified that in addition to her physical injuries, she suffered from nightmares and anxiety. She spent months in therapy and was hospitalized for her mental health.
Protasiewicz’s ruling seemed to indicate sympathy for the accused, saying that she thought the accused had many “pro-social” characteristics. The judge said that she wanted to give Guzinski probation, but her hands were tied by legal standards.
Judge Protasiewicz gave the rapist only two and a half years in prison (with credit for 52 days served) and then just two and a half years of probation upon release.
The Guzinski case was not the first that critics say indicates a troubling regard for violent criminals by Protasiewicz. In 2019 then 51-year-old John Spivey was accused of punching his 79-year-old aunt in the face and then suffocating her with a pillow until she lost consciousness. Spivey was found guilty of incest and aggravated battery of an elderly victim.
It turns out he had little to fear in sentencing, as Protasiewicz gave him only five years in prison when he could have faced 25 under the law. In addition, the judge gave him credit for a year and a half already served.
She also praised Spivey for what she said was taking “some responsibility” for his actions because he pleaded guilty.
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