Litigation

Update on Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

By Lissette Villarruel

A wispolitics.com article noted that former Supreme Court Justice Donald Steinmetz has declared his endorsement of Judge Randy Koschnick, who is hoping to be elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He will be running a difficult campaign against incumbent Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who has served on the court since 1976.

This judicial race will be interesting not only because of Abrahamson?s experience and Koschnick?s push for victory, but also because of the heated, negative campaigns in the previous year?s election. Specifically, the race between Louis Butler and Michael Gableman for a position on the Wisconsin Supreme Court was hotly contested. The most disputed tactic involved a television ad in which Gableman wrongfully implied that Butler had ensured the release of violent criminal (a storyboard of the ad is provided by the Brennan Center for Justice).

This time, the much-anticipated race will be closely monitored by the press. An article from The Capital Times indicates that Abrahamson is a popular justice who is well-respected by Republicans and Democrats alike. Koschnick, on the other hand, is a newcomer who likely faces an uphill battle. With these factors working against him, it would seem, at this point, that Koschnick?s chances of winning the race are not great. As Marquette University Law School professor Richard Esenberg is quoted as saying in a Wisconsin Law Journal article, ??The chief justice is a formidable opponent and it will take a very capable candidate and lawyer to defeat her.??

For more information on the Butler-Gableman race, you can see ?The New Politics of Judicial Elections in the Great Lakes States, 2000-2008? and earlier Gavel Grab postings.

Full post as published by The Gavel on January 13, 2009 (boomark / email).