Will we get serious about cleaning up the Wisconsin Supreme Court?
The state's second-largest newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal, says the first item on its 2008 agenda is changing the way we place justices onto the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Current law calls for elections every 10 years, but that system is broken as evidenced by the election of Annette Ziegler.
As a county judge she was incapable of conducting herself in an ethical manner. By her own admission, she heard cases in which she had a financial interest in one of the parties. When confronted with this obvious conflcit of interest during the campaign, she simply wrote it off as negative campaigning.
Now Ziegler admits she erred and has asked that she receive a slap on the wrist while chugging along on the high court. She selectively recuses herself in certain cases yet continues to hear others involving her largest campaign contributor.
It's a safe bet Ziegler's colleagues will simply issue a reprimand and sweep the issue under the Supeme Court Chambers rug.
The damage is done regarding Ziegler, but there's hope for the future. We need to begin the process of electing Supreme Court Justices. It's being done right now in half the states. Wisconsin needs to join this growing trend.
Jan 22, 2008 at 1:14 a.m.
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The election to office of somebody we don't like is not sufficient justification
for getting rid of elections. In China, perhaps, but not in the USA. Taking
away elections from citizens is taking away the very thing that defines
democracy and differentiates it from dictatorship and oligarchy. How casually
we give away rights that millions have died to protect. The right to vote is
worthless if no elections are held. We should have more elections not fewer.
Jan 18, 2008 at 9:10 a.m.
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Hear, hear Stan! Ziegler deserves to be reprimanded appropriately, not just slapped on the wrist. You get to the underlying issue--election reform for the Supreme Court. Please keep talking about this to keep it fresh in our minds!
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