WISCONSIN — Wisconsin found itself in the nation's political spotlight on Tuesday night as the country waited for the results of the state's high-profile and high-stakes state Supreme Court race.

"We know this was one of the most watched, if not the most watched, elections in the nation in 2023," said Anthony Chergosky, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. "The eyes of America had been on Wisconsin, [everyone] wondering what would happen in this election that would decide the balance of power on the state's Supreme Court." 

Less than an hour after the polls had closed, the Associated Press called the race for Judge Janet Protasiewicz, giving the state's high court a 4-3 liberal-leaning majority for a first time in 15 years, with some major legal decisions looming large.

"I'm focused on three issues," Chergosky said. "We know that Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban is likely to be heard by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court and they will decide on the validity of that law... Certainly we would predict that that law would be overturned based on the balance of power on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. There's also a potential for a challenge to gerrymandering... Finally, the 2024 presidential election — Wisconsin could be the decisive state in the 2024 presidential election, and the Wisconsin State Supreme Court could rule on a lot of important matters related to that election."

Watch the full interview above.