Great Editorial On Supreme Court Race (Wausau Daily Herald)

[Dinger]

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080122/WDH06/801220324/1636

"Column: Seats on Supreme Court for sale to high bidders, special interests

Millions of people throughout the world have been captivated by John Grisham's fictional legal thrillers. But his most recent book, "The Appeal," is all too real.


The story revolves around a big chemical company that has been polluting a local water supply, causing cancer in the area. The company is sued, loses, and appeals the case to the state Supreme Court. In an attempt to win the appeal, the big chemical company recruits a candidate, finances him, manipulates him, markets him, and molds him into their Supreme Court justice.


Sound familiar? It should. While it is fictional, Grisham's story is happening in Wisconsin today. Big businesses, led by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), are trying to eliminate "unfriendly" justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and replace them with more "sympathetic" ones. Last year, the group is reported to have spent more than $3 million to elect a candidate of their liking. This year they will likely spend even more in an effort to unseat Justice Louis Butler.


Why? Because WMC wants the views of big businesses to prevail over those of the consumer when cases go to the Wisconsin Supreme Court -- and they're trying to buy a seat on the court to make it happen. They want to weaken even the most basic legal protections, stacking the deck against everyday Wisconsinites like you and me, all in the name of higher profits. . . "

[undeterred]

1. We have auctions, not elections...

Vote for Justice Butler. :patriot:

[Dinger]

2. Still A Mighty Slow Response on How ziegler is Being "Reprimanded"

I'm waiting.

[undeterred]

3. No dessert or tv for 3 nights in a row.

:shrug:

[goguenard]

4. Re:Still A Mighty Slow Response on How ziegler is Being "Reprimanded

Is Zeigler the judge who denied conflict of interest while a candidate and then got caught after the election?

This is my first DU post.

[undeterred]

5. Yes.

But it was known before the election - and it has not been treated as something that should keep her off the court.

Welcome to DU!

[midnight]

6. Isn't this organization Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce

(WMC), responsible for having the current Atty Gen. J.B. Holloway?

[dragonlady]

7. Yes, they supported J. B. Van Hollen

Here's a typical paragraph that I found in a WMC report:

WMC educated the public about nuisance litigation and the threat of activist attorneys general.
Wisconsin chose J.B. Van Hollen to fight crime and end nuisance suits. Van Hollen is the only
pro-business attorney general candidate in the nation to win a seat previously held by
an activist attorney general. WMC’s advocacy on nuisance suits drew national and international
attention with articles in Bloomberg and The International Herald Tribune.