On the Radar
Nasty Supreme Court campaign comes down to today
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Also by Associated Press:
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- Nasty Supreme Court campaign comes down to today (April 1, 2008)
- Former regent, principal McPike dies at age 68 (March 31, 2008)
- Lawton to run for governor if Doyle doesn't (March 31, 2008)
- Wisconsin one step away from Frozen Four (March 29, 2008)
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by Associated Press
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler tried to hold onto his seat on the
state’s highest court Tuesday despite a barrage of negative ads from
both his opponent, Burnett County Circuit Judge Michael Gableman, and
outside groups. Third-party groups spent millions of dollars
attacking both Butler and Gableman in an effort to influence the
officially nonpartisan election, which was seen as one of the nastiest
in state history. The winner will serve a 10-year term and help decide the outcome of the state’s largest legal issues. The
election was viewed as critical since Butler is generally seen as
siding with three other more liberal justices to create a 4-3 majority. No incumbent justice has been ousted from office since 1967. Steve
Atwell, 50, development director for a Milwaukee-area nonprofit, said
the television ads turned him off so much he didn’t vote in the race. “For me, it was a lot of mudslinging and back and forth, and I didn’t feel informed,” he said. Robert
Wiessinger, a 39-year-old water consultant in Wausau, voted for
Gableman in part because the negative campaigning put him in an
“anti-incumbent mood.” “Both sides threw a lot of mud. That’s a
place where dirty politics really doesn’t need to be,” Wiessinger said.
“It really impedes what I think the judicial process is.” But Sandy Schumacher, 47, of Sun Prairie, said she voted for Butler because she particularly disliked Gableman’s ads. “They’re awful. They’re absolutely reprehensible,” she said. “It demeans the integrity of the judicial system.” ——— A Gableman ad drew the most negative attention and a complaint with the Judicial Commission. The
ad misled voters into thinking that Butler was responsible for a sex
offender being set free early and committing another rape. Citizen
Action, a liberal interest group, complained to the Judicial Commission
alleging that Gableman violated the judicial code of conduct that
forbids deliberately misleading statements or actions by judges. That complaint will be considered later this month and could lead to sanctions against Gableman. But
an ad run on behalf of Butler by the state teachers union was also
misleading, claiming Gableman gave lenient sentences to sex offenders
while a judge, even though the sentences were stiffer than the
prosecutor wanted. While Butler had the teachers union on his
side, Gableman benefited from ads run by the state’s largest business
group, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. The race was
officially nonpartisan, but Democrats and labor groups lined up behind
Butler along with 220 judges and groups representing more than 18,000
law enforcement officers. Gableman drew support from Republicans and
the majority of the state’s district attorneys and sheriffs. The
chairman of the Republican Party even got into the action, placing
automated calls on Gableman’s behalf in the final days of the race. Appointed
in 2004 by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, Butler was the first black person
on the state Supreme Court. Butler, 56, has 16 years experience as a
judge and worked 14 years before that as a public defender. Gableman,
appointed to the circuit court in 2002 by Republican Gov. Scott
McCallum, previously worked as a district attorney. Gableman, 41,
touted his experience as a prosecutor, arguing that he would care more
about victims of crime than Butler does.
