Amidst the ongoing labor struggle in Wisconsin and national efforts to cut programs while giving breaks to business, the race for a swing vote seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has heated up.
Justice David Prosser, who is up for reelection, has been the subject of TV ads attempting to tie his views and judicial decisions to controversial Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Prosser has rejected these claims and stated that a statement earlier this year by his campaign staff that he should be re-elected to "complement" Walker's efforts was not approved by him in advance.
At the March 21 debate at Marquette Law School between the two candidates -- Prosser and JoAnne Kloppenburg -- in the non-partisan race for the highest court in the state, Prosser faced questions about his temperament and the lack of judicial collegiality on the Court. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MJS) endorsed Prosser during the primary while noting that in "an interview with the Editorial Board [in February], he was surprisingly blunt in his criticisms of the chief [Justice Shirley Abrahamson], blaming her for the backbiting and divisiveness of the court."