Incestuous Republican Clan Protects Supreme Court Justice

Wisconsin recently elected a new Republican Supreme Court Justice. It was the second conservative justice bought and sold by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. The first was elected in April 2007, Annette Ziegler, who became the first justice in the states history to be publicly reprimanded by her colleagues.

What she did to qualify for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court was admitted to hearing 11 cases as a circuit judge that involved a bank in which her husband is a board member. She won her seat easily.

Now the court has another corrupt justice. I should say alleged, but as you’ll see in excerpts from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who’s kidding who?

(Four) investigators has ensured that Supreme Court justice-elect Michael
Gableman won't come under any official scrutiny for dozens of phone calls he
made to political operatives when he was Ashland County district attorney in
2002. (They) all claimed they did not have jurisdiction in the matter.

Late last week, the six-year statute of limitations expired, guaranteeing that Gableman can't be charged with violating the law.

Was it a tough case to investigate, or impossible get someone to admit to wrong doing? Of course not.

Gableman has acknowledged he used his government phone to call the fund-raising staff of Republican Gov. Scott McCallum and others but has insisted the calls were not for political work.

With a face like Gableman's, how could not believe him. Like a clan of inbred ideologues, this new justice will not only be protected, but rewarded. Want proof of his guilt?

Records show dozens of calls were made to McCallum's fund-raisers, his campaign headquarters, the state Republican Party headquarters and McCallum donors in the weeks before Gableman hosted a June 12, 2002, fund-raiser for McCallum.

McCallum appointed Gableman to be Burnett County circuit judge two months later.

After Gableman received his reward, the incestuous clan steps in to help.

To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen was not involved in the department's decision. Van Hollen's wife, Lynne, worked for Gableman when he was Ashland County district attorney.

Some of the calls Gableman made from that office were to Mary Stitt, a campaign consultant who has worked for McCallum, Van Hollen and Gableman.

The incestuous clan doesn’t stop there.

Burnett County District Attorney Ken Kutz and Ashland County District Attorney Sean Duffy said last month they didn't have authority to investigate. They would have had to find special prosecutors to avoid conflicts of interest. Duffy worked for Gableman and supported his campaign for Supreme Court; Kutz routinely appears before Gableman.

Our Wisconsin Supreme Court has not only been compromised, but they've put the foxes in charge of the foxes hen house.