What Does WI Election Say About The Judiciary?
Whatever yesterday's vote around a state supreme court judgeship in Wisconsin says about any absolute, Constitutionally-derived notion of justice in the courts when it comes to political decisions, it may not be very good. The concept of judge shopping may have hit an all time high. If this election is ultimately instrumental in forming Wisconsin's legislative approach in dealing with public sector employee unions, it will also have been decided by a much smaller percentage of voters than were the elections of Walker and the current legislature.
Approximately fifty-percent of Wisconsin voters turned out back in November of 2010, when Walker was elected.
Authorities expected a 20% turn out yesterday; turnout reportedly topped 33%. Prosser beat Kloppenberg handily, 55% – 28%, in a non-partisan primary. Despite the thinking, it's actually undeclared precisely how either candidate might ultimately rule on Wisconsin's controversial legislation, assuming it gets to the state's high court. However, if it does and things play out as many seem to expect, one, or another special interest will have bought itself a judge.
MADISON, Wis. – Even though there seems to be extra interest in the upcoming state Supreme Court race, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board is predicting a typical level of voter turnout. The GAB says it expects 20 percent of eligible voters to cast a ballot next week.
1.5 million votes out of 5 million total pop. Looks closer to 40% but point taken.
Tangent/mildly skew ….
Me, get a little amped, when I see the red/blue states map. Pure boosheet. Cali AIN’T blue. Nope. The Millions who reside in Los Angeles, San Fran, and S.D., vote 20-30% more dem (than repub). And … since it be millions of votes. Those three cities, swing the whole election statewide.
The rest of the state? Yeah, their hearts beat right along with the rest of the country.
Liberalism … it’s a freakin disease.
“However, if it does and things play out as many seem to expect, one, or another special interest will have bought itself a judge.”
WTF, Dan?????
Prosser could easily be a judicial purest who is neutral.
Your implication here is just dumb. And wrong.
Vote against the fleebaggers in the Time’s most influentioal poll..
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2058044_2060338_2060007,00.html
Commenters are GUSHING over these fleebaggers.
Ragspierre
To the Left, a judicial purist who follows both Constitutional (Wisconsin) and legislative intent IS a special interest candidate.
TO: Ragspierre
RE: Riehl on Posser
“Prosser could easily be a judicial purest who is neutral.
Your implication here is just dumb. And wrong.” — Ragspierre
Actually, you’re wrong. Riehl is talking about turning the judiciary in Wisconsin—or any other place where supreme court justices are elected—into nothing more than another elected ‘legislative’ body.
It’s a violation of the concept of checks and balances as established by the Founding Fathers to elect supreme court justices.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide. -- John Adams]
P.S. If you doubt this, just watch US as we destroy ourselves by the popular election of US Senators, Reynolds v. Simms (SCOTUS 1964) and this business in Wisconsin.
Elmo, the left would love to make our national elections purely democratic, high vote getter countrywide wins. Nothing like wanting to trash the Constitution. With that in place you’d think the whole country was “blue”, when just the opposite is true, except for the bastions of liberalism, the failed big cities.
Actually, YOU are wrong. Read what Dan said.
There are only a few ways to put judges on the bench.
One of them is to elect them. It is the least bad of all the ways, if, like me, you believe in people.
If you believe that elites make better decisions, that officials’ nominations are pure, and that judges should not be subject to recall, there are models you will like (i.e., the Federal judiciary).
Regardless of how they get their butts on a bench, judges ARE “nothing more than…a legislative body” IF they chose to play that role.
If Kloppenburg wins, her opponents should move on to a “recuse Kloppenburg” effort.
Hmmmm.
*shrug* I’m pretty ambivalent about all this. Let us face reality here. Nothing much will change until America hits the debt wall. And when that happens it will simply be too late to do anything. Fact is that people really aren’t paying attention and don’t understand the issues. And in large part they aren’t paying attention because none of this is currently costing them money. The progressive tax system insulates half the country from serious implications of the current budget mess.
Well at least until America hits the debt wall. When that happens then all Hell is going to break loose.
Any system in which those who can overturn the legislative process are chosen by getting more votes than the other guy is a horridly flawed system – becoming ever more horridly flawed as the franchise is ever widened.
But, in the end, any leadership position ultimately comes about either through acclamation or through force.
In this election, as with any, we will get the person we deserve, because, in the end, that’s who we voted for.
The fact that we keep voting for persons (especially judges) who are clearly unfit by intellect and/or inclination, is entirely on us.
Keep voting for bums for office and you’ll predictably keep getting bums in office.
But, memo, you CAN’T be callous to what you just suggested. Humanity dictates that you FIGHT to make your friends, neighbors, and family aware.
You can’t stand idly by and watch this train-wreck and call yourself a human being. People CAN learn!!!
Here’s a small prediction: if the unions do manage to vote in their own personal WI Supreme Court judge, retake the state senate, and try to turn the state into some kind of prog fantasy land, a significant number of that state’s residents and businesses will most certainly “vote” again…with their feet.
The unionistas seem utterly oblivious to the facts that a) only 94 miles separate Kenosha WI and Gary IN, b) they can’t build a “Great Wall of Cheese” across I-94, and c) GOP governors like Mitch Daniels may already be making phone calls and sending e-mails, if y’know what I mean.
“Riehl is talking about turning the judiciary in Wisconsin—or any other place where supreme court justices are elected—into nothing more than another elected ‘legislative’ body. ”
The courts are already a legislative body. The only question left is whether they should be an elected or unelected legislative body.
“The courts are already a legislative body.”
And, since our founding, we wanted them to be. If you think “checks and balances”, and republic versus democracy, that was always one important function they had to serve.
The only authority that can rein in a nut-job like Sumi in Wish-consin is a higher court. (Or the legislature could pass another law, now that the thieves who stole democracy are back).
The right is always fine with the system as long as their special interest guy is chosen.
All judges are “political.” Now we know WHO bought her vote and FOR what purpose.
“The right is always fine with the system as long as their special interest guy is chosen.”
The “special interest” in this instance being the tax-payers of Wisconsin.
How come the Fleebaggers had to steal democracy?
The Collective’s contempt for the people is overwhelming.
Memo/”Fact is that people really aren’t paying attention and don’t understand the issues.”
Lots of reasons for that. Far too many. But is one part, of the problem. And as things grow ever more complex … as things being to spiral (uh huh, out of control. Like they just may be now). It will compound the problem.
And all the while, Kommnadant Sitzpinkler hunkers down, in the bunker. With his visionary IslamoCommie coterie. Spinning the great web of media lies. Until the silk starts to actually kill (Chucklehead yammerin bout burning that flat pack of Charmin).
Most transparent administration ever.
Best friend Israel ever had.
If one simply inverts the polarity (180 deg.), of just about everything the junta says (as well MSM) … they’ll find themselves closer. Much. To the truth … say democracy protesters/rebels/govt opposition, would thusly yield: al Qaeda.
Mil ops in Libya, to last three months. Translation: three years.
It’s an easy game to play. Try it
Comedy gold. All of a sudden, money in elections is a problem – when you’re on (or conceivably MIGHT be on) the losing end of the vote. When the people vote how YOU want, the will of the people is sacrosanct. When they don’t, the election was stolen by special interests.
Just like how Obamacare for seniors (RyanNoCare) is just fine. But cutting Medicare’s administrative costs by X amount means that Obama is going to kill your granny.
So-called “conservatism” is wholly bereft of principles. It’s a naked power grab that cannot be honestly and/or factually defended. You won’t even try.
Quote: “Just like how Obamacare for seniors (RyanNoCare) is just fine. But cutting Medicare’s administrative costs by X amount means that Obama is going to kill your granny.”
As if the government is going to cut administrative costs.
“All of a sudden, money in elections is a problem”
Who said anything about money?
That is the Collective’s hypocrisy, Collectivist.
Obama is planning on spending a thousand-million dollars. But your side is having a fit about Citizens United.
Talk about comedy gold…!!!!
What is NOT funny is the death, misery, and sickness of Americans that WILL come if ObamaCare were allowed to see the light of day.
“When the people vote how YOU want, the will of the people is sacrosanct. When they don’t, the election was stolen by special interests.”
And there have been STOLEN elections, liar.
But we don’t steal democracy. We stay and vote. Fleebaggers HATE democracy, and will not allow it.
http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2011/04/lessons-of-wisconsin-supreme-court.html
Jacobson is worth reading.
Surgeons say patients in some parts of England have spent months waiting in pain because of delayed operations or new restrictions on who qualifies for treatment.
Surgeons have described the delays faced by patients as “devastating and cruel”. Peter Kay, the president of the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA), says they’ve become increasingly frustrated that hip and knee replacements are being targeted as a way of finding savings.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12964360
Sure as the sunrise, what you get with ObamaCare.
“When the people vote how YOU want, the will of the people is sacrosanct. When they don’t, the election was stolen by special interests.”
you have succinctly summarized the Left’s view of elections. Congrats!
Walker needs to order the Wis. Nat. Guard to take possession of all ballots cast immediately. The law enforcement agencies in the state are totally untrustworthy of safeguarding them. Anyone who tries to stop the Nat. Guard from carrying out their orders should be arrested, charged, and tried with conspiracy to commit voter fraud. Once the ballots are secure they should start a public (internet, real time, streaming video) inspection of every single ballot, including full traceability of its provenance to voter registration rolls. All instances of fraud should be publicly announced/published with identification of the perpetrators’ names, addresses, places of work, phone numbers, email addresses,…the whole works.
We’re not putting a Briyish-style system in place. Duh!
It was a referendum on Walker. He lost.
Annnnnnnnd…. It begins.
Wisconsin city that overwhelmingly went for Prosser caught shredding ballots. What are the odds the number of shredded ballots just happen to equal the amount of Kloppenhorseface’s “victory”?
http://punditpress.blogspot.com/2011/04/wisconsin-city-caught-destroying.html
“It was a referendum on Walker. He lost.”
Now, there’s a psychotic break for you…
Even Newsmax calls it a referendum.
We all know it’s only a referendum when the conservative wins.
The guy running for Walker’s old job got kkkeeeeerusheeeed.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Wisconsin-SupremeCourt-Walker-Election/2011/04/05/id/391884
Kloppenburg issued a statement thanking Prosser for his service and vowing to be an impartial judge. Prosser’s campaign didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment on whether he would seek a recount. In other words, nothing Prosser was screaming about could be printed…..or maybe they were all just ducking for cover.
nishferatu, as usual, is lying.
Kloppenburg is, of course…being a Collectivist…lying.
Nothing new.
1 Every vote counts. There were approximately 1.5 million votes cast, and the gap is about 200 votes. Republicans need to push hard on voter integrity legislation and practices. One can only imagine how many U. Wisconsin – Madison students who are registered to vote elsewhere, and whose parents probably claim them as residents of other states for tax purposes, voted in the election. It probably made the difference. Laws that ensure that only those entitled to vote can and do vote are hated by Democrats for this and similar reasons.
2 Don’t believe the spin being put out by PPP Polling and others that Republicans are doomed, and that the world changed after the November elections. Gov. Scott Walker received 52% of the vote in November, so Prosser — who was slow out of the gate to respond to attack ads — did only 2% worse. And that in an emotional atmosphere in which Democrats staked everything, but Republicans only became motivated in the final couple of weeks. As Matthew Knee pointed out this morning, big labor proved much less formidable than expected.
3 The courts matter, including trial courts. This was an election for the Supreme Court, but trial court Judge Sumi’s extraordinary interference in the legislative process provided solace and encouragement to anti-Prosser forces. By making what was a legislative issue a judicial issue, Judge Sumi — whether she intended to or not — made the Supreme Court race the key event in the political war over collective bargaining.
4 Keep in mind the courts when thinking about the 2012 presidential election. Six more years of Barack Obama likely will result in a change in the character of the U.S. Supreme Court.
5 We have to police the police. Who could have imagined that police unions would join protesters and engage in acts of political intimidation? Who could have imagined that a county Sheriff would declare that his officers would not act as “palace guards” when protecting the State Capitol? Public sector unions are more than economic issues, they are central players in whether voters or unions control government.
6 Conservatives were complacent, but are motivated now. Consider the Wisconsin Supreme Court election the wake up call for the majority which grew complacent after November. Conservatives around the country need to understand that nothing can be taken for granted.
http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2011/04/lessons-of-wisconsin-supreme-court.html
Kloppenburg will not be on the bench to vote on the Sumi restraining order.
So, Wish-consin is saddled with a serial looser because the pampered union thugs had a hissy fit.
She will be replaced soon.