MILWAUKEE (AP) — As the candidates for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat squared off in a recent debate before early voting, one issue came up first and dominated at the start.

“Let’s talk about abortion rights,” the moderator said.

The winner of the April 1 election could hold the power to determine the fate of any future litigation over abortion because the outcome of the race for a vacancy on the state’s highest court will decide whether liberals or conservatives hold a majority.

Abortion has become a central plank of the platform for the Democratic-backed candidate, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, in part because of its effect on voter turnout, although to a lesser extent than during a heated 2023 state Supreme Court race that flipped the court to a liberal majority. Brad Schimel, a former state attorney general, is the Republican-supported candidate.

“Abortion of course remains a top issue,” said Charles Franklin, a Marquette University political scientist. “But we haven’t seen either candidate be as outspoken on hot-button issues as we saw in 2023.”

Democrats are hoping voters will be motivated by the potential revival of an abortion ban from 1849, which criminalizes “the willful killing of an unborn quick child.” The Wisconsin Supreme Court is currently deciding whether to reactivate the 175-year-old ban.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin filed a separate lawsuit in February asking the court to rule on whether a constitutional right to abortion exists in the state.

The 19th century law was enacted just a year after Wisconsin became a state, when lead mining and the lumber industry formed the bedrock of the state’s economy as white settlers rushed into areas left vacant by forced removals of Native American tribes.

It also was a time when combinations of herbs stimulating uterine contractions were the most common abortion method, said Kimberly Reilly, a history and gender studies professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

“During this time, there were no women in statehouses,” Reilly said. “When a woman got married, she lost her legal identity. Her husband became her legal representative. She couldn’t own property in her name. She couldn’t make a contract.”

This is the latest instance of long-dormant restrictions influencing current abortion policies after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, which had granted a federal right to abortion.

The revival of an 1864 Arizona abortion law, enacted when Arizona was a territory, sparked a national outcry last year. Century-old abortion restrictions passed by all-male legislatures during periods when women could not vote — and scientific knowledge of pregnancy and abortion were limited — have also influenced post-Roe abortion policies in Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

Those laws tend to be more severe. They often do not include exceptions for rape and incest, call for the imprisonment of providers and ban the procedure in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Some have since been repealed, while others are being challenged in court.

During the state Supreme Court debate March 12, Crawford declined to weigh in directly on the 1849 abortion case but promoted her experience representing Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and “making sure that women could make their own choices about their bodies and their health care.” In an ad released Wednesday, she accused Schimel of not trusting “women to make their own health care decisions.”

Schimel calls himself “pro-life” and has previously supported leaving Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban on the books. He dodged questions about abortion during the debate, saying he believes the issue should be left up to voters, although Wisconsin does not have a citizen-led ballot initiative process, which voters in several other states have used to protect abortion rights.

Anthony Chergosky, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political scientist, said Schimel has been “borrowing from the Republican playbook of avoiding the issue of abortion” by leaving the question up to voters in individual states.

The message has still gotten across to many Democratic voters, who cited abortion as a top issue while waiting in line for early voting this past week.

Jane Delzer, a 75-year-old liberal voter in Waukesha, said “a woman’s right to choose is my biggest motivator. I’m deeply worried about what Schimel may do on abortion.”

June Behrens, a 79-year-old retired teacher, spoke about a loved one’s abortion experience: “Everyone makes their own choice and has their own journey in life, and they deserve that right.”

Republican voters primarily cited immigration and the economy as their top issues, essentially the same ones that helped propel Republican Donald Trump’s win over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris last November in the presidential election. But others said they also wanted conservative social views reflected on the court.

Lewis Titus, a 72-year-old volunteer for the city of Eau Claire, said restricting abortion was his top issue in the Supreme Court race: “I believe that Brad Schimel is the one to carry that on.”

While it’s one of the key issues this year, abortion played a much larger role two years ago, when a race for Wisconsin’s highest court demonstrated how expensive and nationalized state Supreme Court races have become.

This year’s campaigns have focused primarily on “criminal sentencing and attempting to paint one another as soft on crime,” said Howard Schweber, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor emeritus.

Crawford also has tried to make the race a referendum on Trump after his first months in office and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is running Trump’s massive federal cost-cutting initiative and has funded two groups that have together spent more than $10 million to promote Schimel.

“Two years ago, abortion was a hugely mobilizing issue, and we saw that clearly in the lead-up to the election,” Schweber said. “We’re seeing some of this, but not to the same extent, which really makes no sense. The issues and stakes are exactly the same.”

The decision to elevate other issues might be the result of anxiety among Democrats that abortion may not resonate as deeply as they once believed after significant election losses in November, despite Harris using abortion as a pillar of her campaign, several Wisconsin politics experts said.

Charles Franklin, a Marquette University political scientist, said he believes abortion will motivate Democrats, but the issue may not rank high in the priorities of independent voters, who he says will be central to the race’s outcome.

“In the early days after Roe v. Wade was overturned, it was still a very hot issue for voters,” he said. “But as states have codified their abortion laws, the issue doesn’t seem to motivate voters to the same extent. In the fall, many Democrats believed abortion was still this magic silver bullet and would win them the presidential and Senate races. But the outcomes didn’t seem to support that.”

BVB3/21/2025 8:38 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Caffo Reaches 75 Career Wins

AUSTIN – The No. 9 California beach volleyball team split its two duals Friday to open the East vs West Invitational in Austin, Texas. After sweeping No. 12 LSU and falling to No. 10 Texas last week, the Golden Bears flipped the script this time around with a 3-2 win over the host Longhorns and a 3-2 loss to the Tigers.
 
Cal (12-6) handed Texas its first home loss of the season and avenged a tough 3-2 loss at last week’s East Meets West Invitational. The Bears now five ranked wins this season.
 
With a pair of court-two victories, graduate student Sierra Caffo surpassed 75 career wins – 49 of which have come in her time at Cal. Her 75th win came against her former team, LSU.
 
Cal took a 2-0 lead in its first match of the weekend with wins from Caffo and junior Gia Fisher on court two and the court-four pair of junior Marilu Pally and senior Ella Dreibholz. The Bears were just a few points away from clinching the match on court three but suffered a reverse sweep for the first time this season.
 
Texas took a 1-0 lead to begin the second dual, but the momentum changed when Fisher and Caffo grinded out a huge three-set win on court two that went to extra points in two of the sets. Junior Jenna Colligan and senior Ella Sears picked up their first win as a pair this season on court five to put the Bears in position to win the dual.
 
With the Longhorns snagging court three, it would all come down to the top spot in the lineup where junior Portia Sherman and sophomore Emma Donley had already won their first set handedly. As both teams gathered around court one, the Bears put the dual to bed in dominant fashion winning it 21-16, 21-12.
 
Cal is back on the sand tomorrow to face No. 20 FIU, which the Bears defeated last weekend 4-1, and No. 18 Georgia State. The first match is set for 7:30 a.m. PT and the second match is slated for 10:30 a.m. PT.
 
No. 12 LSU – 3, No. 9 Cal – 2

1. Parker Bracken / Gabi Bailey (LSU) def. Emma Donley/Portia Sherman (Cal) 21-11, 24-22
2. Gia Fisher/Sierra Caffo (Cal) def. Aubrey/Julia Specher (LSU) 24-22, 21-23, 15-13
3. Elle Evers/Camryn Chatellier (LSU) def. Alex Adishian/Christine DeRoos (Cal) 21-15, 10-21, 21-19
4. Marilu Pally/Ella Dreibholz (Cal) def. Katie Baker/Tatum Finlason (LSU) 21-17, 21-18
5. Skyler Martin/Emily Meyer (LSU) def. Ella Sears/Jenna Colligan (Cal) 21-18, 21-15

Order of finish: 4, 2, 5, 3, 1
 
No. 9 Cal – 3, No. 10 Texas – 2

1. Emma Donley/Portia Sherman (Cal) def. Chloe Charles/Eva Kuivonen (TEX) 21-16, 21-12
2. Gia Fisher/Sierra Caffo (Cal) def. Emma Grace Robertson/Katie Hashman (TEX) 23-21, 17-21, 17-15
3. Karin Zolnercikova/Maddison Parmelly (TEX) def. Christine DeRoos/Alex Adishian (Cal) 21-18, 21-15
4. Macey Butler/Noa Sonneville (TEX) def. Marilu Pally/Ella Dreibholz (Cal) 21-14, 21-13
5. Jenna Colligan/Ella Sears (CAL) def. Carys Patton/Vivian Johnson (Cal) 23-21, 21-9

Order of finish: 4, 2, 5, 3, 1
 

Most people look forward to retiring with plans to kick back, relax, and—let’s be honest—avoid dealing with people. However, that wasn’t the case for Martha. After retiring from her position as director of medical records at Austin Diagnostic Clinic, she still had a strong desire to help others. While searching for an interesting part-time opportunity, she discovered the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s Ambassador Volunteer Program and began her volunteering journey in 2008, continuing until this year, 2025. As we bid her farewell on her next journey, we want to take a moment to recognize her remarkable 17 and a half years of service to travelers from all around the world.

Saying that Martha was just a friendly face at the Visitor Information Center in Baggage Claim would be an understatement. She consistently went above and beyond, assisting travelers with everything from navigating the airport to providing support during medical emergencies. For many travelers, her warm demeanor and willingness to help were the shining light at the end of the tunnel they had been seeking.

Reflecting on her time as a volunteer, Martha shared, “It was a great experience for me, and I also had fun people-watching. One of the perks I really appreciated was the ‘free’ parking when I was traveling from the airport.” As she prepares for her second attempt at retirement, Martha said that she will miss her coworkers most of all. Without a doubt, she will always remain a beloved member of the AUS community.

Martha’s story of finding joy in helping others may inspire you to volunteer as well. In case you didn’t know, the AUS Airport Ambassadors Program is a volunteer initiative designed to provide exceptional customer service and assist visitors on their journey. As a volunteer, you’ll become an expert on all things airport-related and provide timely updates from the Department of Aviation to travelers. Benefits of volunteering include discounts at airport stores and restaurants, free Cap Metro I-Ride cards for commuting, special recognition at social events, and, Martha’s favorite, free airport parking for both work and vacation! If you’re interested, contact the Visitor Information Center Supervisor for more information at VolunteerAtAUS@flyaustin.com or call 512-530-2414.

Once again, thank you, Martha, for the many years of service you’ve dedicated with your smile, patience, and expertise at AUS. Your contributions have made a meaningful impact on everyone you’ve helped, and after 17 ½ years, those impacts are truly countless.