Supreme Choice Between People Or Profits

Elections are coming up again in April and it is becoming apparent that partisan supporters for candidates of non-partisan judicial offices are attempting to reshape those campaigns as well. I actually welcome this type of transparency because a candidates political philosophy is probably the single most important thing to know before you pull that ballot lever. Such is the case of the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court elections where Republicans or should I say conservatives (remember we’re non-partisan) , are drumming up support for their ~~Republican~~ candidate, Circuit Court Judge Ann Ziegler for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Apparently, there is a bit of a controversy surrounding Judge Ziegler as it turns out she has presided over more than just a few claim cases involving a bank where her husband happens to be on the Board of Directors. No problem if this was disclosed to all the parties involved or if she had recused herself. But that never happened. These are serious allegations against a sitting circuit judge.

~~Republican~~ Mark Graul, former campaign spokesmen for Mark Green is now running Ziegler's campaign. Last week he did acknowledge Ziegler had a conflict when it came to cases involving the bank, but insisted she had notified the parties and gotten approval to continue presiding over the cases. He later modified that to say in some cases, defendants failed to show up or handled the case by telephone or mail, and Ziegler didn't have a chance to notify them of her conflict so - guilty as charged.

Whatever the reason, not having the chance to notify them of her conflict but finding plenty of time to cast judgment and strike the gavel seems inconsistent in the least. Again, this wasn’t one of those rare things where it can happen once to anybody or even twice to a freshman judge. There appears to be at least four documented victims of Judge Ziegler, a judge whose bench experience puts her in that “should know better” classification. Upon this discovery, dozens of former defendants are now stepping forward with the same allegations. No excuse, Ziegler knows exactly what she is doing.

WSJ Excerpt:
The four defendants interviewed by the State Journal said Ziegler neither withdrew from their cases nor notified them of her conflict of interest.

Ziegler wouldn't say whether she believes her actions followed the Supreme Court rules or any other court rules for that matter. Ziegler is running against ~~Democrat~~ Linda Clifford who responded to the controversy by saying judges don't have the option of staying on cases while hiding their conflicts of interest. She said Ziegler's decision not to withdraw from the cases "raises serious concerns." You bet it does!

WSJ Excerpt:
"The rule . . . is not a discretionary matter. It's not up to Judge Ziegler to get a 'gut check.' It's absolutely mandatory when either she or her husband sits on the board of directors of a party - it's mandatory that she recuse," Clifford said.

But as far as all of that is, you can forget it all because the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) otherwise known as organized business have zeroed in on district attorneys and judges as a “must have” to keep in their pockets. The WMC pumped millions into J.B.Van Hollen’s campaign against Kathleen Falk. They won in what can been described as a stunning upset and are now coming out with all guns blazing against Linda Clifford.

Big Business Backs Zeigler:
The Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has spoken: State Supreme Court candidate Linda Clifford is an activist who will legislate from the bench while her opponent Annette Ziegler will practice judicial restraint.

Restraint as in……restraining herself from disclosing to defendants that her husband happens to be on the board of directors of the bank that is suing you - guilty as charged.

Speaking about Board of Directors, it should come as no surprise when the Janesville Gazette starts hacking about their endorsement for the vacant Supreme Court post. You see, Gazette President and Board Chairman Sidney H. Bliss was elected to the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) board just recently. Just remember though, the Gazette is beholden to no one.

Waxing America Excerpt:
Mostly, I'm asking for someone, somewhere, to notice, perhaps, that while Linda Clifford is completely upfront and open of her partisan past, Annette Ziegler seems to be so ashamed of hers that she'll scrub her website and send out lackeys to lie for her.

Of the two candidates, Linda Clifford has the most important qualifying trait a person must possess to be judge and that is to be upfront. That’s all most people expect when standing in front of a judge in a courtroom, and that is all I expect from my candidate when I’m voting in the booth.
Ziegler offers neither.