You may not have noticed, but for the last couple of days I've been a man on a mission. I softened you up with a cute little critter, and then got your attention with the Wisconsin Republicans' latest outrage. Yesterday I told you about the upcoming Spring Election where Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is facing perhaps the toughest reelection of her 20 year tenure. Last night I outlined the malfeasance of her conservative colleagues on the court and their conflicts of interest.
I spent my whole weekend working toward this moment right here because Scott Walker, the Republican Legislature, and the Conservative Justices on the State Supreme Court would like to put a bow on the tidy little present they've made of Wisconsin for themselves and their donors. I made it my mission to do everything in my power, with nothing but a cell phone, to try and make sure they don't get away with it. Did it work? Have I got you all fired up and ready to go? I'm going to cut right to the chase below the cheddar doodle.
Section 4 Subsection 2 of Article VII of the Wisconsin State Constitution covers who the State Supreme Court's Chief Justice shall be. It reads as follows:
(2) The justice having been longest a continuous member of said court, or in case 2 or more such justices shall have served for the same length of time, the justice whose term first expires, shall be the chief justice. The justice so designated as chief justice may, irrevocably, decline to serve as chief justice or resign as chief justice but continue to serve as a justice of the supreme court.
2015 Senate Joint Resolution 2 proposes to strike the first sentence of Section 4 Subsection 2 and replace it with the following:
The chief justice of the supreme court shall be elected for a term of 2 years by a majority of the justices then serving on the court.
It passed the State Senate without a single Dem vote of course, and it's
on the ballot in the April 7th Spring Election.
Finding an article that doesn't point out that 2015 JR 2 is simply a personal partisan political attack on one person and one person alone isn't easy...
Court measure, billed as move toward congeniality, seen as rip on Abrahamson
GOP bill could push Abrahamson out of chief justice role
The “We Hate Shirley” Amendment
WI GOP Targets Respected Chief Justice for Removal
State Supreme Court amendment sent to referendum
WI GOP Moves “Vendetta” Amendment Against Chief Justice Abrahamson
Wisconsin Senate approves Supreme Court chief justice amendment
The current Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is Shirley Abrahamson. From Wikipedia:
Shirley S. Abrahamson (born December 17, 1933) is the Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She was appointed to the court in 1976 by Governor of Wisconsin Patrick Lucey. Upon her appointment she was the first woman to serve on Wisconsin's high court. She served as the only woman on the court from 1976 until 1993 and has served as the Chief Justice since August 1, 1996. She was elected to the Supreme Court in 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009. She was considered by the Clinton administration for appointment to the United States Supreme Court in 1993, which went to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
She's the real deal. We all love her. The Republicans hate her. They want her out of their way so they can contol the whole show lock, stock and barrel.
Please help us turn the tide in Wisconsin by donating to the campaign of Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, or volunteering to help GOTV! for the April 7th election.
Thank you.