Title: Phillips v. Wisconsin Elections Commission
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 2024AP000138-OA
State: Wisconsin
Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court
Date: February 2, 2024

2024 WI 8 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
CASE NO.: 
2024AP138-OA 
 
 
 
COMPLETE TITLE: 
Dean Phillips, 
          Petitioner, 
     v. 
Wisconsin Elections Commission and Wisconsin 
Presidential  
Preference Selection Committee, 
          Respondents. 
 
 
 
 
 
PETITION FOR ORIGINAL ACTION 
 
 
OPINION FILED: 
February 2, 2024   
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 
        
ORAL ARGUMENT: 
        
 
 
SOURCE OF APPEAL: 
 
 
COURT: 
        
 
COUNTY: 
        
 
JUDGE: 
        
 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
Per curiam. 
        
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
 
      
 
 
 
 
2024 WI 8
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The final 
version will appear in the bound 
volume of the official reports.   
No.  2024AP138-OA 
 
 
STATE OF WISCONSIN  
 
 
   : 
IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
Dean Phillips, 
 
          Petitioner, 
 
     v. 
 
Wisconsin Elections Commission and Wisconsin 
Presidential Preference Selection Committee, 
 
          Respondents. 
 
FILED 
 
FEB 2, 2024 
 
Samuel A. Christensen 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
 
 
 
 
ORIGINAL ACTION.  Rights declared; mandamus relief granted.   
 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.  This court is asked to exercise its 
original jurisdiction to review the decision of the Wisconsin 
Presidential 
Preference 
Selection 
Committee 
(the 
Selection 
Committee) and issue a writ of mandamus directing the Wisconsin 
Elections Commission (the Commission) to place the name of Dean 
Phillips on the 2024 Democratic presidential preference primary 
ballot.1  As in McCarthy v. Elections Board, 166 Wis. 2d 481, 480 
N.W.2d 241 (1992), and Labor & Farm Party v. Elections Board, 117 
                                                 
1 When the Selection Committee and the Commission are 
referenced collectively in this opinion, we will refer to them as 
"the respondents." 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
2 
 
Wis. 2d 351, 344 N.W.2d 177 (1984), we conclude that this matter 
is publici juris, and we exercise our original jurisdiction.  We 
further conclude that the 2024 Selection Committee failed to 
demonstrate that it exercised discretion in applying the 
standard in Wis. Stat. § 8.12(1)(b)(2021-22)2 to Dean Phillips, 
and we direct that the name of Dean Phillips be placed on the 
                                                 
2 All subsequent references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to 
the 2021-22 version unless otherwise indicated.  Section 
8.12(1)(b), Stats., provides: 
On the first Tuesday in January of each year, or 
the next day if Tuesday is a holiday, in which 
electors for president and vice president are to be 
elected, there shall be convened in the capitol a 
committee consisting of, for each party filing a 
certification under this subsection, the state 
chairperson of that state party organization or the 
chairperson's designee, one national committeeman 
and one national committeewoman designated by the 
state chairperson; the speaker and the minority 
leader of the assembly or their designees, and the 
president and the minority leader of the senate or 
their designees. All designations shall be made in 
writing to the commission.  This committee shall 
organize by selecting an additional member who 
shall be the chairperson and shall determine, and 
certify to the commission, no later than on the 
Friday following the date on which the committee 
convenes under this paragraph, the names of all 
candidates of the political parties represented on 
the committee for the office of president of the 
United States.  The committee shall place the names 
of all candidates whose candidacy is generally 
advocated or recognized in the national news media 
throughout the United States on the ballot, and 
may, in addition, place the names of other 
candidates on the ballot.  The committee shall have 
sole discretion to determine that a candidacy is 
generally advocated or recognized in the national 
news media throughout the United States. 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
3 
 
Democratic presidential preference ballot as a candidate for the 
office of President of the United States.  
¶2 
Section 8.12(1)(b), Stats., prescribes the members of 
the Selection Committee.  Those members include the chairs of the 
political parties (or their designees), a number of legislative 
leaders (or their designees), a number of political party 
representatives, and an additional member chosen by other members 
to serve as the chair of the Selection Committee.  The statute 
assigns one task to the Selection Committee —— to determine which 
candidates have candidacies that are "generally advocated or 
recognized in the national news media throughout the United States" 
(the media advocacy or recognition standard).  Wis. Stat. 
§ 8.12(1)(b).3  The Selection Committee is granted discretion in 
determining whether a particular candidacy meets that standard, 
but it is statutorily mandated to perform that analysis.  If the 
Selection Committee concludes that a candidacy meets that 
standard, the statute says that it "shall place" that candidate's 
name on the presidential preference primary ballot.  Id.  
¶3 
The relevant facts underlying the present action are 
undisputed.  Dean Phillips is a United States representative 
serving the 3rd District of Minnesota.  He is a declared candidate 
for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2024 presidential 
election.  Phillips recently appeared on the New Hampshire 
                                                 
3 According to the statute, the Selection Committee may place 
other names on the presidential preference primary ballot in 
addition to the names of those candidates who meet the media 
advocacy or recognition standard. 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
4 
 
Democratic presidential primary ballot and wishes to appear on 
Wisconsin's presidential preference primary ballot.  In early 
December 2023, Phillips' campaign advised the Democratic Party of 
Wisconsin of his desire to appear on the presidential preference 
primary ballot.  As noted above, the chair of that party served as 
a member of the 2024 Selection Committee.  
¶4 
On January 2, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., the Selection 
Committee convened the presidential candidate selection meeting as 
required by Wis. Stat. § 8.12(1)(b).  The two party chairs listed 
the names of the candidates that their respective parties sought 
to have listed on the presidential preference ballot.  The chair 
of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin listed only the name of Joseph 
Biden to be placed on the Democratic presidential preference 
primary ballot.  Without any discussion, the Selection Committee 
unanimously adopted a motion to place the names submitted by the 
party chairs on the ballot.  After adopting a procedural motion 
regarding the minutes of the meeting, the Selection Committee 
adjourned.    The Selection Committee held no discussion about 
Phillips or any other Democratic presidential primary candidate.  
The entire meeting lasted just over five minutes. 
¶5 
On January 26, 2024, Phillips filed  a petition for leave 
to commence an original action under Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 809.70 
and for a writ of mandamus asking this court to declare that the 
Selection Committee erroneously exercised its discretion by 
failing to consider whether Phillips should be placed on the ballot 
for Wisconsin's 2024 Democratic presidential preference primary on 
the ground that Phillips' "candidacy is generally advocated or 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
5 
 
recognized in the national news media throughout the United 
States."  Wis. Stat. § 8.12(1)(b).   
¶6 
On January 31, 2024, the respondents filed a response to 
the original action petition arguing that this court should decline 
to 
exercise 
its 
original 
jurisdiction 
because 
Phillips 
unreasonably delayed in seeking relief from the actions taken by 
the Selection Committee on January 2, 2024.  The respondents 
further argue that in the event this court were to exercise its 
original jurisdiction, it should deny Phillips the relief he seeks.  
The respondents assert that Phillips could have, but chose not to, 
gather at least 8,000 signatures (1,000 from each Congressional 
district) and submit a petition to the Commission to appear on the 
ballot, see Wis. Stat. § 8.12(1)(c), and he also did not promptly 
seek judicial relief.  The respondents also argue that Phillips 
lacks standing to bring his claim because § 8.12(1)(b) gives 
Phillips no protected interest in having the Selection Committee 
discuss whether he was a nationally recognized candidate 
throughout the United States.  The respondents assert: 
To the contrary, the statute says nothing about how the 
Committee decides whether an individual has that status, 
and its decision on that question is left to its "sole 
discretion."  The statutes provide different recourse:  
an individual who wishes to appear in the presidential 
preference primary can simply gather 8,000 signatures 
from Wisconsinites around the State and file a petition 
with the Commission.    
¶7 
The respondents further assert that mandamus is not an 
appropriate vehicle for the remedies Phillips seeks because 
mandamus does not allow courts to step in to perform discretionary 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
6 
 
tasks the Legislature has assigned to others.  The respondents 
argue that Phillips is asking this court to act as the Selection 
Committee and determine that he is a nationally recognized 
candidate, but the statutes assign this task to the Selection 
Committee in its sole discretion——not to the judiciary.  The 
respondents acknowledge that this court did utilize a mandamus 
remedy in McCarthy, but they assert that case was wrongly decided 
and ask the court to revisit it.  
¶8 
On February 1, 2024, we issued an order directing the 
Commission not to transmit the certified list of presidential 
preference primary candidates to county clerks until further order 
of this court so that we could have time to consider the merits of 
this matter and issue our written decision.4 That same day we 
granted Phillips' motion to file a reply brief in support of his 
petition. The reply states that if Phillips had obtained 8,000 
signatures and had filed a petition with the Commission by the 
statutorily imposed January 30, 2024 deadline,5 as the respondents 
argue he should have done, that course of action would have delayed 
                                                 
4 Section 7.08(2)(d), Stats., requires the Commission to 
transmit a certified list of candidates for president to be placed 
on the presidential preference primary ballot "[a]s soon as 
possible after the last Tuesday in January."  After we had issued 
our order, counsel for the Commission advised us that the 
Commission had already transmitted a partial certified list 
containing the names of the candidates for the Republican 
presidential preference primary.  The Commission, however, has not 
transmitted the portion of the certified list containing the names 
of the candidates for the Democratic presidential preference 
primary, presumably recognizing that it should not do so while 
this matter was pending before us. 
5 See Wis. Stat. § 8.12(1)(c). 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
7 
 
the Commission's preparation and transmittal of a certified list 
of candidates by several days, as Wisconsin's ballot access 
regulations allow time for the Commission to review petitions; for 
parties to challenge petitions; for candidates to oppose 
challenges; and for the Commission to resolve challenges.   
¶9 
We find this case to be on all fours with McCarthy, and 
we grant the relief sought by Phillips.  As in McCarthy, we 
determine only whether the Selection Committee erroneously 
exercised its discretion.  We find that here, as was the case in 
McCarthy, "there is no evidence" that the Selection Committee's 
decision not to certify the subject candidate's name for ballot 
placement "was based on the Selection Committee's having properly 
applied the statutory standard of media advocacy or recognition" 
to the candidate's candidacy.  McCarthy, 166 Wis. 2d at 489.   
McCarthy makes clear that the Selection Committee's consideration 
of this statutory standard is not to be a pro forma or perfunctory 
exercise, but one that involves a consideration and weighing of 
the facts at hand as to "all candidates."  That did not occur here.  
As in McCarthy, we conclude that the Committee's "failure to 
exercise at all the discretion conferred upon it by statute 
constitutes an abuse of that discretion."  Id. at 490.  As we 
explained in McCarthy: 
The law governing the selection of names for ballot 
placement in the presidential preference election is 
inclusionary, not exclusionary.  While requiring ballot 
placement of the name of each candidate whose candidacy 
the Selection Committee determines meets the news media 
recognition advocacy or recognition test, the statute 
gives the Selection Committee broad discretion to 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
8 
 
certify other candidates for ballot placement.  The 
proper exercise of the Selection Committee's discretion 
does not permit it to ignore the names of persons known 
to have declared their candidacy of the Republican, the 
Democratic or any other party for the office of U.S. 
President or who had expressed to the Selection 
Committee interest in being placed on the preference 
ballot. 
Id.  
¶10 We find unavailing the respondents' laches defense.  
Although the Commission indicates that there is a need to complete 
the candidate certification process as quickly as possible, there 
is no assertion before us that a resolution of this matter by 
today's date will prohibit the proper, timely finalization and 
distribution of primary ballots.  Laches cannot possibly act as a 
bar to the placement of Mr. Phillips' name on the primary ballot 
when there is still sufficient time to do so.  See Wisconsin Small 
Businesses United, Inc. v. Brennan, 2020 WI 69, ¶12, 393 Wis. 2d 
308, 946 N.W.2d 101 (holding that the party asserting laches must 
show, among other things, prejudice resulting from the other 
party's delay).  While we do not condone Mr. Phillips' delay in 
bringing this action, without a showing of prejudice laches cannot 
apply.   
¶11 Nor are we persuaded by respondents' assertions that Mr. 
Phillips lacks standing to bring this action, or that the only 
relief properly available to him was his statutorily authorized 
opportunity to submit to the Commission a petition for ballot 
placement with the requisite number of signatures.  See Wis. Stat. 
§ 8.12(1)(c).  These assertions are irreconcilable with the result 
in 
McCarthy, 
where 
we 
directed 
an 
identically 
situated 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
9 
 
petitioner's name to be placed on the primary ballot after 
determining that the Presidential Preference Selection Committee 
failed to properly exercise the discretion conferred upon it by 
Wis. Stat. § 8.12(1)(b). 
¶12 As in McCarthy, we conclude that the Presidential 
Preference 
Selection 
Committee 
erroneously 
exercised 
its 
discretion under Wis. Stat. § 8.12(1)(b) with respect to Phillips.  
We ordinarily would remand the matter back to the Selection 
Committee with directions for it to properly exercise its 
discretion.  The Commission, however, advises us that there is a 
need for the certified list of candidates to be transmitted so 
that the local election officials can begin the process of 
preparing, printing, delivering, and mailing absentee ballots by 
the statutorily required deadlines.6  We therefore conclude that 
there is insufficient time to permit remand to the Selection 
Committee for the proper exercise of discretion.   Consequently, 
we direct that the name of Dean Phillips be placed on the 2024 
Democratic presidential preference primary ballot as a candidate 
for the office of president of the United States.  Our February 1, 
2024 order directed to the Wisconsin Elections Commission is hereby 
                                                 
6 Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 7.10(3)(a), each county clerk is 
required to deliver presidential preference primary ballots to all 
of the municipal clerks in his or her county 48 days before the 
presidential preference primary, which in the present instance 
would be February 14, 2024. Municipal clerks are then required to 
mail presidential preference primary ballots to absentee voters 
who have requested them by the 47th day before the preference 
primary, which would be February 15, 2024.  Wis. Stat. 
§ 7.15(1)(cm). 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
10 
 
vacated.  After Phillips' name is added to the certified list of 
presidential 
preference 
primary 
candidates, 
the 
Wisconsin 
Elections Commission shall promptly transmit the certified list of 
the candidates for the Democratic presidential preference primary 
to the county clerks pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 7.08(2)(d).  
By the court.—Rights declared; mandamus relief granted.  
 
 
 
 
 
No. 
2024AP138-OA   
 
 
 
1