Swing State of the Union

This is Swing State of the Union — a podcast all about Wisconsin and why it’s so important to U.S. politics.Since Season 2, politics have dominated the headlines, exemplified by fights for control over every facet of our government. As the second Trump administration tries to assert power over a growing list of government agencies, there have been few obstacles in the way. That is, aside from the courts.The courts have played a central role in stopping, or legitimizing, President Trump’s policies. Because of this, they are increasingly seen in a partisan light, raising questions about who they serve and how they rule.Now, another state Supreme Court election is ahead for Wisconsin voters. So, we’ll investigate a couple broad questions about our state courts: How do we hold justices accountable, and how do different justices interpret Wisconsin’s constitution?In this episode, we explore the different approaches to interpreting the state Constitution. We also hear from the candidates for this year’s state Supreme Court election and learn about their approach to judicial interpretation.

This is Swing State of the Union — a podcast all about Wisconsin and why it’s so important to U.S. politics.Since Season 2, politics have dominated the headlines, exemplified by fights for control over every facet of our government. As the second Trump Administration tries to assert power over a growing list of government agencies, there have been few obstacles in the way. That is, aside from the courts.The courts have played a central role in stopping, or legitimizing, President Trump’s policies. Because of this, they are increasingly seen in a partisan light, raising questions about who they serve and how they rule.Now, another state Supreme Court election is ahead for Wisconsin voters. So, we’ll investigate a couple broad questions about our state courts: How do we hold justices accountable, and how do different justices interpret Wisconsin’s constitution? In this episode, we’ll examine the systems of accountability and explore two cases of judges facing consequences in Wisconsin.Swing State of the Union is hosted and produced by Joy Powers and Sam Woods. It’s edited by Becky Mortensen and Emily Files with digital support from Valeria Navarro Villegas and Michelle Maternowski. Erin Bagatta designed the logo.

Swing State of the Union is back with some bonus episodes.In Season 2, we explored the Wisconsin Supreme Court — examining how partisan politics, money and judicial ethics have shaped the court over the last 30 years.Now, another supreme court election is ahead for Wisconsin voters, though it’s not as high stakes as the last one.We’ll investigate two broad questions about our state courts: How do we hold justices accountable, and how do different justices interpret Wisconsin’s constitution?Episodes drop on March 18 and 25. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and watch for Season 3 of Swing State of the Union later this year ahead of the Wisconsin gubernatorial race.