Normally it’s the defendants in a courtroom accused of violence. Recently, Supreme Court Justice Prosser turned the tables when he was accused of putting fellow Justice Ann Bradley in a chokehold. While the allegations are still being investigated, the question coming to mind is why the hell is this even an issue for any Supreme Court justice?

It is not a surprising allegation to be made of a justice who just last year called Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson a “bitch” and said he would “destroy” her. This is the nature of the legacy Wisconsin Republicans in the limelight have brought to the state.

Looking back in history, Wisconsin has had several notable facepalm-worthy Republicans. Foremost on the list seems to be Joseph McCarthy and his false allegations of communism, which ruined lives on a national level. Today, Republicans in the media continue to build themselves a legacy of deviant politics.

Most obvious would be our current governor and his blatant lies. Remember how he claimed breaking collective bargaining rights would save the state money? A few months later at a national congressional hearing he admitted that it would not save Wisconsin anything. Or how about the threats of bringing in the National Guard to protect public safety from possible repercussions of the famed bill? This seems like an abuse of power similar to how Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus brought in the National Guard to protect public safety by preventing nine African Americans from going to a white school in 1957.

My personal favorite is how Republicans (notably the Fitzgerald brothers) claimed that the bill breaking collective bargaining rights could be implemented despite a judicial restraining order. They claimed that the judicial branch had no power over the legislative branch since it is a different branch.

Really? I guess when you treat politics like business you probably forget some of the main tenets of our system. Specifically, a little thing pioneered by French philosopher Montesquieu called “separation of powers” which gives us “checks and balances” to prevent corruption and has been so effective that it has been mimicked all over the globe. The branches exist so no individuals gain too much power – the kind of power Walker and his administration have been seeking.

Alexander Hamilton once wrote that the judicial branch is a “barrier to the despotism of the prince,” noting that it prevents too much power from getting in the hands of those in the executive branch. So in the eyes of one of our founding fathers, some of Wisconsin’s contemporary Republicans are despots – power hungry tyrants. Hey, don’t look at me; I didn’t say it, one of our founding fathers did.

So what does all of this mean? Wisconsin Republicans in the limelight have continued to break from the integrity and traditional values built in politics, whether it is by ignoring the separation of power, or by calling a colleague a bitch. The recent allegations against Prosser simply build on this legacy of deviant politics. What happened to respecting those you disagree with?

The next time a senator like Peter Barca wishes to speak and read part of our state constitution before a Senate vote, Republicans should actually listen to the document they claim to be defending. Or they could maintain their childish antics and just yell over him like they did in the March 9 vote on the collective bargaining bill.

Now just to be clear, Democrats aren’t any less guilty of taking extreme actions than Republicans. But it seems that when they do, they do so in a respectful manner. Sure, some of our Democratic Senators fled to Illinois, but at least they didn’t call Republicans “bitches” and tell them they would “destroy” them as they fled.

Of course, not all Republicans lack integrity and respect. In fact, the vast majority of them are quite honorable. There are some great Republicans in this state; they’re just never in the headlines. Unfortunately this only furthers the legacy in Wisconsin that the few Republican outliers in the limelight have constructed for their party. They have built a legacy of deviant politics.

Reginald Young ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in legal studies and Scandinavian studies.