Never did I believe we would see the kind of spending in the Wisconsin Supreme Court elections that we have seen for the past several years. These are, after all, nonpartisan elections for a seat on the Supreme Court, the highest court in Wisconsin. There is no reason justices, and those seeking to become justices, should be out hocking their wares to fund their campaign. Senate Bill 171, which passed the Senate this week, would fully fund Supreme Court races and set spending and contribution limits.
There also is no reason why any corporation or other "expressed advocacy" lobby group should be able to spend a dime on the Supreme Court races. While SB 171 does not ban all "issue advocacy" spending it does provide matching grants from the election fund so that candidates can equal the spending against issue advocacy. It is unbelievable what is said on television and in mail about candidates for the Supreme Court and I think part of the reason why it is said is because illegal groups know that a seated Supreme Court judge cannot answer accusations the way other candidates can. Seated justices take an oath to protect the rights of Wisconsin people above all else and pointing the finger during a heated election cannot be done.
All of the seated Wisconsin Supreme Court justices support Senate Bill 171 because they all have taken a stand against the circus that has become our Supreme Court races. It is illegal to lobby a judge in Wisconsin. There is no compelling reason an "issue advocacy" group should be able to spend one dollar on a judicial race. The sole purpose of an "issue ad" as defined by the U.S. Supreme Court as late as this summer is to provide the public with knowledge about a legislative issue and in turn ask people to join them in lobbying for a specific bill. Since this kind of lobbying is illegal, that is the most compelling reason why all issue ads should be banned in judicial races.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest court we have and in it we all have the opportunity for justice that is essential in our democracy and in our courts. Our court has punished polluters and held up strong environmental protections. They have set men free who spent the better part of their lives in jail. They have said there is the right to be paid for your work and that you have the right to overtime, workers compensation and unemployment insurance. They have validated the right to equal opportunity in education. They have protected the integrity of businesses and business trade secrets. They have enforced the interstate commerce clause protecting rights form one state to another for businesses. The list goes on and on.
There will be millions of dollars spent in the Supreme Court race that will be held this spring and what a waste that is. We could put people to work or save a small business with those funds. The groups that spend this money should be stopped. This madness should be stopped. The Assembly should pass Senate Bill 171 immediately and we should move to pass a comprehensive plan to ban all issue ad spending in court races. The more illegal money mutates the court, the more "ACTIVIST" it becomes and for that reason alone we need action now.
- State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, represents the 27th State Senate District, which includes Green County. For more information on SB 171 and other campaign finance bills, contact Sen. Erpenbach at (608) 266-6670 or sen.erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.gov.
There also is no reason why any corporation or other "expressed advocacy" lobby group should be able to spend a dime on the Supreme Court races. While SB 171 does not ban all "issue advocacy" spending it does provide matching grants from the election fund so that candidates can equal the spending against issue advocacy. It is unbelievable what is said on television and in mail about candidates for the Supreme Court and I think part of the reason why it is said is because illegal groups know that a seated Supreme Court judge cannot answer accusations the way other candidates can. Seated justices take an oath to protect the rights of Wisconsin people above all else and pointing the finger during a heated election cannot be done.
All of the seated Wisconsin Supreme Court justices support Senate Bill 171 because they all have taken a stand against the circus that has become our Supreme Court races. It is illegal to lobby a judge in Wisconsin. There is no compelling reason an "issue advocacy" group should be able to spend one dollar on a judicial race. The sole purpose of an "issue ad" as defined by the U.S. Supreme Court as late as this summer is to provide the public with knowledge about a legislative issue and in turn ask people to join them in lobbying for a specific bill. Since this kind of lobbying is illegal, that is the most compelling reason why all issue ads should be banned in judicial races.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest court we have and in it we all have the opportunity for justice that is essential in our democracy and in our courts. Our court has punished polluters and held up strong environmental protections. They have set men free who spent the better part of their lives in jail. They have said there is the right to be paid for your work and that you have the right to overtime, workers compensation and unemployment insurance. They have validated the right to equal opportunity in education. They have protected the integrity of businesses and business trade secrets. They have enforced the interstate commerce clause protecting rights form one state to another for businesses. The list goes on and on.
There will be millions of dollars spent in the Supreme Court race that will be held this spring and what a waste that is. We could put people to work or save a small business with those funds. The groups that spend this money should be stopped. This madness should be stopped. The Assembly should pass Senate Bill 171 immediately and we should move to pass a comprehensive plan to ban all issue ad spending in court races. The more illegal money mutates the court, the more "ACTIVIST" it becomes and for that reason alone we need action now.
- State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, represents the 27th State Senate District, which includes Green County. For more information on SB 171 and other campaign finance bills, contact Sen. Erpenbach at (608) 266-6670 or sen.erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.gov.
