Author’s note:
The state Supreme Court election on April 5 in Wisconsin may be a key turning point in the state’s (hopefully) short experiment with being a red state. Now that a key Republican Supreme Court Justice has been called out for his misogyny, you may think he’d apologize for his outburst. Rather, like a typical Republican, he blames it on the recipient of his temper tantrum.
Excerpt:
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser may have several liabilities that make him vulnerable in the upcoming election on April 5. The most recent are emails and interviews that have revealed that Prosser exploded at Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson behind closed doors, calling her a “bitch” and threatening to “destroy” her.
According the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, one of the emails obtained was written by Justice Ann Walsh Bradley to Prosser and other court officials on Feb. 18. “In a fit of temper, you were screaming at the chief; calling her a ‘bitch,’ threatening her with ‘…I will destroy you’; and describing the means of destruction as a war against her ‘and it won’t be a ground war.’ …In my view, a necessary step to address the dysfunction [in the court] is to end these abusive temper tantrums.”
Prosser recently acknowledged the incident, saying “In the context of this, I said, ‘You are a total bitch.” Prosser explained, “I probably overreacted, but I think it was entirely warranted….They [Abrahamson and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley] are masters at deliberately goading people into perhaps incautious statements. This is bullying and abuse of very, very long standing.”
Prior to joining the court, Prosser was the Republican Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly. He has been recently linked to Governor Walker by an ad put out by the progressive Greater Wisconsin Committee who claim, “In the legislature, Prosser and Walker voted the same way 95 percent of the time – both voting against the middle class.” His reelection campaign recently promised that he would “protect the conservative judicial majority and act as a common sense complement” to Gov. Walker if he is reelected.
The Supreme Court election has taken on a much greater significance in light of the recent Circuit Court decision to place a temporary restraining order on the publication of a controversial anti-union law. That decision is almost certain to be appealed and may ultimately be ruled on in the state Supreme Court, as Prosser stated in an interview with a local conservative talk show host.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court currently has a 5-4 conservative majority. On April 5, Prosser, a Republican, is facing a challenge from Assistant Attorney General JoAnn Kloppenburg. Before the budget battle that has taken place over the past few weeks, Prosser was favored to win the election. Now there are no clear favorites.
Read more, get links and video here: Madison Independent Examiner – Justice Prosser’s outburst may influence Wisc. Supreme Court election