Litigation

WI Judicial Commission Drops Gableman Complaint

By Peter Hardin

The Wisconsin Judicial Commission has dropped its ethics complaint against Justice Michael Gableman, following a deadlock by the state Supreme Court on the case.

The commission said it did not have authority to pursue the case further, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article.

“The opinions issued by the Supreme Court last week do not provide a conclusive resolution of this case and the Judicial Commission has concluded that it does not have legislative authority to pursue this matter further,” the commission said in a statement reprinted by WisPolitics.com.

The commission cautioned that Justice Gableman had not been exonerated:

“The Supreme Court’s opinions are not exoneration or vindication of Justice Gableman’s conduct. There is simply no justification for judges or candidates for judicial office to intentionally and purposely misrepresent facts concerning an opponent in a judicial election campaign. To do so, causes extreme harm to the public’s confidence in the integrity of Wisconsin’s judiciary.

“Judges are highly visible symbols of justice under the rule of law. As such, they must maintain high standards of conduct and personally observe those standards so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary will be preserved. The public expects and demands nothing less from judges and those who aspire to selection for judicial office.”

Last week, the state Supreme Court deadlocked 3-3 on the complaint, which had accused Justice Gableman of dishonesty in a 2008 campaign ad attacking then-incumbent Justice Louis Butler. You can learn more about the ruling from Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on July 08, 2010 (boomark / email).