Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects request to hear recall attempt from Vos opponents

Far-right efforts to recall Wisconsin’s top legislative Republican have been met with yet another legal setback. 

That’s after the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected a request from a group of 2020 election deniers who have been trying to oust Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

The Racine Recall Committee had sought to bypass Wisconsin’s court of appeals by asking the state’s high court to hear their case directly. But, on Tuesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied that request.

Recall organizers have cited Vos’ refusal to decertify Wisconsin’s 2020 election results in former President Donald Trump’s favor. Four years ago, Democratic President Joe Biden won Wisconsin by more than 20,000 votes — a victory that has been upheld by multiple lawsuits, two partial recounts, an independent audit and a review by a Republican law firm.

Additionally, recall organizers have criticized Vos for not backing calls to impeach the Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator, the nonpartisan official who oversees how elections are run in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has twice rejected the committee’s attempts to schedule a recall election in 2024, after finding that their petitions were short on valid signatures. 

The committee sued over the latest rejection, but a Dane County Circuit Court judge quickly dismissed their case in July. Tuesday’s Supreme Court order leaves the matter with the state appeals court.

Vos’ current two-year term ends in 2025. He’s headed for a general election match-up against Independent Kelly Clark Sturtevant and Democrat Alan Kupsik on Nov. 5.

Vos’ lone Republican challenger dropped out of the  Aug. 13 GOP primary.

Attorneys for Vos and for the Racine Recall Committee did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment.