The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show

State Courts Are the Last Line of Defense

43 min · 14. Feb. 2026
Episode State Courts Are the Last Line of Defense Cover

Beschreibung

JUDGE CHRIS TAYLOR ON HER RACE FOR WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT State courts are the last line of defense. And what's happening in Wisconsin is a blueprint for the rest of the country. Between 2023 and 2025, Wisconsin made national headlines twice: first by flipping its Supreme Court to a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years, then by defending that majority against Elon Musk's $22 million spending spree. Both races shattered records. Both became tests of whether grassroots organizing could overcome dark money. Both succeeded. Now comes the next chapter. Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Judge Chris Taylor [https://www.chrisforjustice.com/] is running to expand the court from a 4-3 to a 5-2 progressive majority, not just to maintain control, but to build something more durable. Something that can withstand the next decade of attacks on abortion rights, voting rights, worker protections, and democracy itself. Judge Chris Taylor's story is one you need to hear. She spent years as the public policy director at Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, lobbying on what she calls "the hardest issues in politics": reproductive healthcare, sexual assault protections, domestic violence prevention. When Scott Walker's anti-union Act 10 passed and the political landscape shifted, she ran for State Assembly with a newborn and a four-year-old at home. She won. She served nine years fighting for working families and authored groundbreaking legislation protecting survivors of violence. Then Governor Tony Evers appointed her to the circuit court, she was elected to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, and now she's running for the state's highest court. In our conversation, we dig into what it means to go from advocacy to lawmaking to the bench, and whether those experiences make you a better judge or compromise your impartiality. We talk about the cases coming before Wisconsin's Supreme Court that will shape the next decade: challenges to union-busting laws, redistricting fights that will determine fair representation through 2030, and the flood of Trump administration policies that are ending up in state courts across the country. We explore how state constitutions often provide stronger protections than federal law, and why that matters more than ever right now. We also talk about the human side of running for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat where judicial independence is sacred, but voters deserve to understand your values.  This episode isn't just about the Wisconsin Supreme Court 2026 election. It's about the role state courts are playing as a check on federal power. It's about what it takes to win these fights in an era of unlimited spending and nationalized judicial elections. It's about the pipeline from advocacy to power, and whether people who've spent their lives fighting for justice can also be impartial arbiters of the law. If you care about reproductive rights, if you're watching Trump-era policies roll out and wondering where the resistance will come from, if you believe courts should protect people's fundamental freedoms rather than serve partisan agendas—this conversation is for you. Guest: Chris Taylor [https://civicmedia.us/profile/chris-taylor/]

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Alle Folgen

61 Folgen

Episode Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski on Abortion, Fixing What They Broke & Why Lieutenant Governor? Cover

Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski on Abortion, Fixing What They Broke & Why Lieutenant Governor?

Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski sits down with OB-GYN and reproductive rights advocate Dr. Kristin Lyerly to talk about the legacy of the Dobbs decision, her Constitutional offices on the “garden level” of the Capitol, and why she’s running for Lieutenant Governor instead of the top seat. From rebuilding hollowed-out state offices to helping Wisconsinites start businesses and stay in their homes in the midst of an affordability crisis, Sarah Godlewski has spent her career fixing what they broke. Now she’s asking Wisconsin voters to give her the chance to do it from a different perch. Plus — don’t miss the surprise appearance by her 6-year-old son Hartley, who crashed our interview and gave us a genuine boy mom moment you won’t want to miss. In this episode: The legacy of Dobbs — four years later, what it’s really meant for Wisconsin women The “garden level” offices: how Republicans hollowed out two constitutional offices and what Sarah did about it Why she chose Lieutenant Governor over Governor — and what she plans to do with it Affordability, Medicaid, and the Republican betrayal of Wisconsin families What a Democratic trifecta actually means for Wisconsin Follow Sarah Godlewski: www.sarahforwisconsin.com Twitter: @SarahforWI Facebook: @SarahforWI Instagram: @sarahgodlewski Subscribe to my Substack: drkristinlyerly.substack.com Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Threads: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Bluesky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Twitter/X: @drkristinlyerly LinkedIn:@drkristinlyerly Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters. Producer: Abraham Lyerly Music: Nic Tierman Graphics: Nathaniel Gonzalez

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Healthcare is the issue voters keep coming back to in this race, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley says it’s “a top issue if not THE top issue” for Wisconsinites. In this conversation, I sit down with Crowley to dig into his healthcare plan, including his “No Wrong Door” approach to mental health and crisis care, his proposal to open up BadgerCare as a true public option, and how he plans to pay for any of it given Wisconsin’s track record on Medicaid expansion. We also talk about the administrative failure that left Milwaukee County employees without health benefits (it actually didn’t), what it taught him, and — in a field with seven strong Democratic candidates — what he says actually sets him apart. Learn more about David Crowley here: crowleyforwi.com Facebook: @CrowleyforWI Instagram: @CrowleyforWI Twitter: @DavidCCrowley BlueSky: @davidcrowley4wi.bsky.social Follow Dr. Kristin Lyerly: Substack: @drkristinlyerly Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Threads: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Bluesky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Twitter/X: @drkristinlyerly LinkedIn:@drkristinlyerly Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters. Producer: Abraham Lyerly Music: Nic Tierman Graphics: Nathaniel Gonzalez

24. Juni 20269 min
Episode Manufactured Crisis: How Trump and Republicans Broke Wisconsin’s Health Care Cover

Manufactured Crisis: How Trump and Republicans Broke Wisconsin’s Health Care

Over 275,000 Wisconsinites are on track to lose their health care coverage. Premiums have more than doubled overnight. Hospitals are closing. And it didn’t happen by accident. In this episode, I’m joined by Brad Woodhouse, President of Protect Our Care, and Wisconsin political strategist Joe Zepecki to break down the findings of a devastating new report: Health Care in Crisis: Trump and Republicans Are Making Health Care Unaffordable for Wisconsinites. We get into all of it — the $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, the ACA tax credits that were allowed to expire, the eight Wisconsin hospitals and clinics already closed or at risk, the 60-year-old couple now spending nearly 37% of their income on health insurance, and the pharmaceutical companies that defied the president’s own requests and raised prices anyway — while posting $177 billion in profits. This is what a manufactured crisis looks like. And these are the people responsible for it. In this episode: Who is losing coverage and why What the Medicaid cuts actually mean for Wisconsin families, kids, and rural communities Why hospitals are closing — and what happens when they do How Big Pharma is cashing in while seniors pay more What accountability looks like from here Read the full report: https://defendamericaaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DAA-WI-Health-Care-Affordability-Report-June-2026.pdf Follow Protect Our Care: www.protectourcare.org Substack: @protectourcare Instagram: @protect.our.care Threads: @protect.our.care TikTok: @protectourcare YouTube: @protectourcare Facebook: @protectourcare Twitter/X: @protectourcare LinkedIn:@protectourcare Follow Dr. Kristin Lyerly: Substack: @drkristinlyerly Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Threads: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Bluesky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Twitter/X: @drkristinlyerly LinkedIn:@drkristinlyerly Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters. Producer: Abraham Lyerly Music: Nic Tierman Graphics: Nathaniel Gonzalez

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Episode Fran Hong: Bold, Unapologetic, and Ready to Fix Healthcare Cover

Fran Hong: Bold, Unapologetic, and Ready to Fix Healthcare

In this episode of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show, I sit down with Wisconsin State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Fran Hong to dig into the healthcare vision she’s running on — and why it’s unlike anything else in the field. We talk about her path to Medicare for All, her plan to take on hospital pricing and insurance claim denials, what reproductive healthcare access really looks like under a Hong administration, and why she believes maternal health is about so much more than pregnancy. Fran is bold, she’s specific, and she is not playing it safe. Connect with Francesca Hong: Website: francescahong.com Instagram: @francescahongwi X/Twitter: @FrancescaHongWI Threads: @francescahongwi Facebook: @FrancescaHongWI TikTok: @francescahong BlueSky: @francescahongwi.bsky.social Follow Dr. Lyerly nearly everywhere! YouTube: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Substack: @drkristinlyerly Twitter: @kristinforWI BlueSky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social LinkedIn: @drkristinlyerly Reddit: @drkristinlyerly Credits: Producer: Abraham Lyerly Music: Nic Tierman Graphic Design: Nathaniel Gonzalez

30. Mai 202617 min
Episode She Withdrew From the Race — Then Won Anyway: Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford Cover

She Withdrew From the Race — Then Won Anyway: Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford

What does it take to step back from a race — and still win it? Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford did exactly that when Madison voters elected her to the Common Council even after she suspended her campaign. Turns out, the people of Madison had other plans. In this episode of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show, Dr. Lyerly sits down with the first transgender woman elected to the Madison Common Council — and quite possibly the only elected official in Wisconsin who’s also a stand-up comedian. Dina Nina has been a traveling evangelical pastor, a small business owner, a housing justice advocate, and the founder of Lady Laughs Comedy. She brings all of it to this conversation, and it shows. We talk about the wild election nobody saw coming, what it actually feels like to govern from lived experience, and why she thinks trans leadership isn’t just historic — it’s exactly what Wisconsin needs right now. It’s honest, it’s a little funny, and it does not pull punches. In this episode: The election she withdrew from — and still won From the pulpit to the punchline: her unlikely path to public office Why lived experience will be her superpower in the legislature Her vision for housing, fair maps, and a blue Wisconsin New episodes of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show drop on YouTube every week — subscribe and come hang with us. Follow Dina Nina www.votedinanina.com Instagram | @votedinanina Facebook | @votedinanina BlueSky | votedinanina.bsky.social Subscribe to my Substack: drkristinlyerly.substack.com Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Threads: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Bluesky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Twitter/X: @drkristinlyerly LinkedIn:@drkristinlyerly Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters.

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