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Abrahamson intern recruitment draws criticism

Court candidate uses law school database, angering republican

As the Wisconsin State Supreme Court race draws nearer, a new controversy has emerged regarding current Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson’s use of the University of Wisconsin’s Law School’s Career and Student Service newsletter.

According to Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, this listing violates various Wisconsin statutes preventing candidates running for election from using public resources for campaign purposes, regardless if the election is partisan or non-partisan.

The State Supreme Court Election is bipartisan, but Abrahamson identifies with the Democratic Party, and her opponent, Randy Koschnick, identifies with the Republican Party.

Presently, the newsletter has an online listing soliciting law students to become an intern for Abrahamson’s reelection campaign.

“The law school may argue that it’s not illegal, but it’s certainly not ethical,” Nass said.

To voice his concern, Nass said he sent a letter to UW Chancellor Biddy Martin. Martin told The Badger Herald she received the letter but had yet to formulate an opinion on the issue.

However, according to Robert Doeckel of the One Wisconsin Now organization, Abrahamson’s posting of a job on a university website may be beneficial to students by allowing them to gain valuable political experience.

“The issue here isn’t the listing of the internship on the UW website — if a Republican Party candidate wants to do that, we encourage that for conservative students,” Doeckel said. “The issue is Rep. Nass using his taxpayer office to wage a political attack. We are urging the Government Accountability Board to investigate Nass.”

Doeckel pointed to a variety of examples of Republican Party candidates posting campaign internships on university job websites and newsletters, including an e-mail sent to all UW political science majors in late August stating the Republican Party of Wisconsin was seeking interns to “gain political experience while getting involved in this year’s heated presidential election.”

According to Jane Heymann, assistant dean for career service at the UW Law School, the listing for volunteer opportunity in Abrahamson’s office was submitted to the newsletter by the law school’s Dean of Students, Ruth Roberts, who received it from someone associated with Abrahamson’s office.

“[I]f anyone is running against Chief Justice Abrahamson and asks us to include in the newsletter soliciting law student volunteer workers, we would be happy to do so,” Heymann said in an e-mail.

UW spokesperson Dennis Chapman added university legal counsel reviewed the issue, concluding the state law did not prevent the posting and electronic distribution of notices for opportunities similar to that of Abrahamson’s as long as the posting was done in the same manner as other postings.

Abrahamson’s campaign could not be reached for comment Thursday night.