In Wisconsin, Supreme Court justices are elected in non-partisan elections for 10-year terms. The decisions these justices make are extremely important to students, families, businesses and all Wisconsinites.
Wisconsin has two distinct choices April 2, a judge who will uphold the rule of law on the Supreme Court or a judge who has deep partisan ties that do not belong anywhere near Wisconsin’s highest court.
Judge Brian Hagedorn’s impressive experience in the judicial system makes him exceptionally qualified to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He has a long history of protecting justice and ethics in the state of Wisconsin. Hagedorn is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law and serves as a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Judges at the Court of Appeals evaluate whether the law has been properly applied in trial courts. Hagedorn was also appointed by the Wisconsin State Supreme court to serve on the Wisconsin Judicial Commission where he oversees enforcement of judicial ethics.
Hagedorn understands that personal and political beliefs, whatever they may be, have absolutely no place in the courtroom. He believes that judges should apply the law equally to everyone and ensure that they rule on cases the way the law is written, instead of what they would like the law to be. Hagedorn understands that the Supreme Court is not a political entity, and never should be. He is also committed to protecting the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution to ensure they aren’t slowly chipped away by our judicial system.
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He has a deep personal connection to a problem plaguing the state of Wisconsin — the opioid crisis. In 2013, Hagedorn and his wife adopted a daughter of two parents who struggled with addiction to cocaine and opioids. Hagedorn believes the judicial system should have a hand in the process as our state continues to battle the severe opioid crisis.
Hagedorn is endorsed by several justices who are currently serving or have served on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. He also has significant support from law enforcement with an endorsement from the Milwaukee Police Association and 44 current and former county sheriffs.
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In contrast, Wisconsinites should question if Hagedorn’s opponent, Lisa Neubauer, has the ability to uphold the law as it was written, instead of advocating for policy positions from the bench. Neubauer has a long history of work in Democratic politics, even working on a Democratic presidential campaign.
Neubauer and her husband have donated $105,000 to liberal and Democratic candidates and causes. Neubauer herself even donated $8,800 to Gov. Jim Doyle. Conveniently, those donations occurred before Doyle appointed her to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Neubauer has also appeared at deeply partisan events, including a protest against President Donald Trump.
Neubauer started out her race for the Supreme Court by calling on special interest groups to stay out of the race. She also said special interest money is “toxic” and it “undermines the public’s confidence in our judicial system.”
More recently, she has willingly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of the same special interest money she condemned, clearly changing her position when it benefits her politically. One of the groups donating to her is a group connected to Eric Holder. Holder recently floated the extreme idea of court packing if a Democrat would get elected to the presidency to ensure a liberal majority on the Supreme Court. He is also the first and only Attorney General to have been held in contempt of Congress.
For Wisconsin, the choice is quite clear. We can elect a justice who will uphold the rule of law or a judge that will legislate from the bench and cater to special interests. Those serving in our judicial system should be held to the highest standard to ensure that the rulings they hand down are grounded in the law instead of their policy positions. Hagedorn’s experience and commitment to the rule of law make him a perfect candidate to serve on Wisconsin’s highest court.
Alesha Guenther is a junior studying journalism and mass communications. She is also the Communications Director for College Republicans.
