MADISON, WI -- On Jan 27th, the New York Times reported on recently uncovered audio of extreme right-wing politician Brad Schimel taking a stand against reproductive freedom in Wisconsin—and prejudging cases on abortion access that may come before the court.

In two separate audio clips, Brad Schimel threw impartiality out the window, broadcasting exactly how he would rule on cases relating to Wisconsin’s 1849 criminal abortion ban. In one clip, Schimel said that “there is not a constitutional right to abortion” in Wisconsin and it “will be a sham” if the Wisconsin Supreme Court doesn’t uphold the 1849 ban.

See more from the New York Times:

New York Times: One of 2025’s Biggest Battles Over Abortion Rights Has Already Begun

- The race, like many others in Wisconsin, is likely to be dominated by abortion rights.

- As attorney general, Judge Schimel helped map out a strategy to restrict abortion rights. And last summer, in the early stages of his campaign for the court, he told supporters he backed the state’s 1849 law banning abortion, which became valid when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The old law was put on hold in December 2023 and is likely to come before the state high court later this year.

- “They’ve got several issues in front of them,” he told a crowd in Adams County, according to audio of the meeting shared with The New York Times. “One is the 1849 ban on abortions, which, by the way — what is flawed about that law?”

- At another stop, in Chilton, Wis., Judge Schimel declared: “There is not a constitutional right to abortion in our State Constitution. That will be a sham if they find that.”

“This new audio proves what we already know: Brad Schimel is an extreme politician incapable of being impartial or fair,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Deputy Communications Director Haley McCoy. “Wisconsin deserves a Supreme Court justice that will rule on the law and the law alone—and it’s abundantly clear that is not Brad Schimel.”