Civility a factor in Wis. Supreme Court election
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A 2011 altercation between two state Supreme Court justices drew renewed attention Thursday as a third justice and her two election challengers sparred over whether the current court is too dysfunctional to be effective.
Justice Pat Roggensack, law professor Ed Fallone and consumer lawyer Vince Megna appeared in Milwaukee together at an hourlong candidate forum sponsored by the Milwaukee Bar Association. The slate of three candidates will be whittled down to two in a Feb. 19 primary. The general election is April 2.
Fallone and Megna said Wisconsin used to have a proud tradition of judicial excellence, but that the incident last year shows just how far conditions have deteriorated.
“We’ve all seen the incivility, the personal sniping in the opinions, the inability of the justices to get along,” Fallone said. “And this dysfunction has had an effect on the quality of their work.”
Roggensack, who is seeking her second term, said any characterization of incivility on the court was “gossip at its worst.”
“If we were really after each other constantly, screaming and yelling at each other, do you really think I’d be seeking another 10-year term on this court? Come on,” she said. “There are a lot of other things I could do.”
Fallone was referring to a 2011 incident in which Justice David Prosser placed his hands around the neck of fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Prosser claims he did so as an act of self-defense, but he now faces charges that he violated the judicial ethics code.
Feb 7, 2013 at 9:34 p.m.
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I agree with Megna & Fallone..."Wisconsin used to have a proud tradition of judicial excellence, but that the incident last year shows just how far conditions have deteriorated." But its not just in the Justice System. Its across the board inside State, Federal & Local Government. Has anyone but me noticed, just how easy it is for elected officials, to do very little, & get re-elected. For years, people who know that I sometimes, will vote for Independents, Constitutionalists, etc..tell me, that, "I'm just throwing my votes away by not voting for a Democrat & or Republican." They may be right, but.. I refuse to turn away from the lessons I've learned over my almost half century, with a brain that can think for itself &, when it comes to politicians... "If you let them stay to long, they become ineffective, corrupt, Or just complacent. I think there should be term limits on every publicly elected office. Incumbents know they have a better chance of winning re-elections, just because most people are (By Nature)simple. Its easier to re-elected someone whose just spent 4-10 years doing the job, & who cares what kind of job they are doing as long as they haven't messed with with my life, or someone I care about. Who cares that, during campaigning, they say, All the right things, they know we want to hear, yet incumbents have a public voting record.. Supreme Court Justices also.. have a public record of their decisions.. But to find out, we voters have to change. For "Change to happen" Politicians have shown, "Change" will only come, when Voters change the way they vote.
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