29 JUDGES SIGNED WALKER RECALL PETITIONS

It’s no longer a rumor.

Wisconsin’s courts are ruled by Uber Liberal Partisan judges. Gannett Media reported that 29 WI circuit court judges were among thousands who signed Walker recall petitions. That’s 12% of the state’s approximately 250 county judges. The most liberal county judges are in Milwaukee County where 11 judges, about one-fourth of the judges in the county, signed petitions. No surprise there. None of the 16 appeals court judges or seven WI Supreme Court justices signed. Seems they have more brains than the circuit court judges. What judge would believe
it’s okay to sign a recall petition against his governor? Aren’t judges supposed to be non-partisan?

Chapter 60, WI State Statute says, “No judge or candidate
for judicial office or judge-elect may…participate in the affairs, caucuses,
promotions, platforms, endorsements, conventions or activities of a political
party or of a candidate for partisan office.” Pretty clear to me, wouldn’t you say?

But take a look at Dane County Judge David Flanagan. He signed a recall petition. And last week he issued an injunction to halt enactment of Governor Walker’s Voter ID law. How non-partisan is that? It gets worse for the judge. His wife was a recall petition circulator, and Judge Flanagan signed his wife’s petition. In addition to that, it’s been reported that the ruling is very sloppily written, incorrectly cites a provision in the state Constitution and refers to U. S.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as William Scalia. The problems with the written ruling are damaging to the ruling’s credibility and Flanagan’s credibility, as well. Flanagan doesn’t even know the correct name of a Supreme Court Justice. Sure gives me confidence in the legal system. Just guessing, but it appears the Judge wrote the ruling in haste and made a royal
mess of it.

Many citizens have lost confidence in governmental bodies and the courts. Judge Flanagan just proved we are right to have little faith in the legislative branch. It is critical that judges do everything to demonstrate that their decisions are free of political influence. State judges often have to decide cases where the governor is a party to a case. In fact, Gov. Walker was named as a defendant in the Voter ID case. Judges often have to rule on close elections. How can any judge sign a recall petition and claim he’s unbiased or non partisan? At the very least, with Flanagan’s name on a petition he should have immediately recused himself from ruling on the Voter ID
issue.

All 29 judge signers should step aside on any decision that is partisan. There’s no way they can
rule fair and square when their heart lies in a specific political arena.

And for those judges who signed and claim this is not a partisan issue, Flanagan included? I say
Bull Poop. The line is pretty clearly drawn when you support a recall election that is 100% Democratic. No way can you justify your participation in this recall travesty and then proceed to rule on the validity of actions taken by the guy you believe should be recalled. The public is not that stupid!