Boots & Sabers

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Tag: Rebecca Bradley

Hillary Clinton Weighs in on Wisconsin Supreme Court Election

by | 2145, 2 Apr 1616 | , , | 54 Comments

Ha!

Clinton said she was joining her voice to others who were saying “no to discrimination, no to hate speech and no to Bradley.” She said there was “no place at all” on any court for Bradley’s “dangerous rhetoric.”

I had a couple of thoughts when reading this…

First, there’s no way that Clinton knew anything about Bradley or Kloppenburg – much less cared about either of them – until she needed votes in Wisconsin. This has all of the marks of a deal whereby some state Dems promised to push for her if she would help out on the Supreme Court election. If only Bradley were a man, it would have helped Clinton pimp her “war on women” meme.

Second, Kloppenburg’s big faux claim for months has been that she’s “independent” despite her long-standing ties to Democrats and liberal interests. Having the Democratic presidential front-runner advocate for her drops any pretense of independence. I think it’s fine for judges running for office to have opinions and associations with fellow travelers – nobody is a blank slate and we certainly wouldn’t want to elect anyone who is – but they should be honest about them.

Walker Appoints Bradley to Supreme Court

by | 1312, 9 Oct 1515 | , | 0 Comments

Good, I think.

Gov. Scott Walker announced today he is appointing Judge Rebecca Bradley to the state Supreme Court.

The appointment to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Pat Crooks has been widely expected.

After Crooks announced he would not seek another term next spring, conservative groups signaled their intentions to support Bradley once she formally announced plans last month to run for the seat. She also was viewed as conservatives’ preferred pick after she applied for the vacancy alongside Madison attorney Claude Covelli and Dane County Judge Jim Troupis.

What’s more, Walker has previously appointed Bradley to the Milwaukee County bench and the appeals court.

From a practical point of view, it’s a great decision. Bradley is qualified and reportedly a very bright mind. Wisconsin is better off having the seat occupied by a great judge than sitting vacant until next year.

From a political point of view, it’s a mixed bag. Bradley was already running for the seat and is the early favorite. She will have the power of incumbency, but the election will now be much more of a conversation about Walker, who is not too popular in Wisconsin these days.

In any case, congratulations to Rebecca Bradley. Her appointment makes Wisconsin’s Supreme Court one of the most conservative (and I think most female) courts in the country.

 

Crooks Won’t seek Reelection for Supreme Court

by | 1042, 16 Sep 1515 | | 0 Comments

This was expected, but not it is for sure. It will be an open seat.

Supreme Court Justice Pat Crooks announced today he will not seek re-election.

The 77-year-old justice noted today is the 38th anniversary of his swearing in for the Brown County bench following an appointment by then-Acting Gov. Martin Schreiber. He won his first term on the state Supreme Court in 1996 and was unopposed as he sought re-election in 2006.

“I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve as a judge and justice and to have had the support of the voters of Brown County and Wisconsin over the years,” Crooks said.

Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg and Milwaukee County Judge Joe Donald have already announced plans to seek Crooks’ seat next year, and Appeals Court Judge Rebecca Bradley has filed paperwork to run as well. Madison attorney Claude Covelli has said he is considering a bid.

Bradley is a good conservative candidate. It’s going to be a heated race.

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