Extremist Conservative Think Tank "Wisconsin Club for Growth" no longer in back room, gets politically involved to discredit Judge Sumi.

One thing you can’t do under a dictatorial one party system; resist.

From the party that sees judicial activism in any decision they don’t like, these moneyed conservative think tanks and special interests have the power to discourage dissent with threats of investigations and smear campaigns. If they don’t win in court (the conservative activist supreme court in this case that will almost surely decide in favor of the Walker administration), they will have at least won the character assassination game. So let the games begin?

The Wisconsin Club for Growth has asked the Wisconsin Judicial Commission to investigate possible misconduct on the part of Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi.  Sumi is at the center of a controversial ruling blocking publication of new law to reform the collective bargaining privileges of government employees in Wisconsin. The complaint says Sumi acted inappropriately and demonstrated bias against the State when she filed a brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court last month. 

Biased? Like when the Republican Party of Dane County gave these “comical” reasons for recusal:

The Republican Party of Dane County recognizes that Judge Sumi is a leftist living in Dane County. Her friends are leftists living in Dane County. Her son is a left wing activist in Dane County. She goes to cocktail parties held by leftists in Dane County. She shops at organic gourmet food shops run by leftists living in Dane County. If she were to enforce the law of Wisconsin and do what was in the best interest of the people of Wisconsin, she’d be exiled from her lifestyle. She’d lose her friends! 

Biased? Like this attempted smear campaign that failed:

Scott Fitzgerald: "She probably should have been conflicted out of ever ruling on this in the first place." Why? Because her adult son was once employed by a union and is liberal, more than reason enough to assume he might even have close ties to terrorists. Amazing stuff, except former Republican Governor Tommy Thompson appointed conservative Judge Maryann Sumi, the"activist" jurist.

No, instead, they hope the legal mumbo jumbo will appeal to and add cover to Justice Prosser and his fellow corporate justices.

As a sitting judge, Judge Sumi is bound by SCR 60.04(4), which provides: A judge shall respect and comply with the law and shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. The Wisconsin Department of Justice asked Judge Sumi to recuse herself from the case on May 25, 2011 but Sumi refused and instead issued a ruling against the State the following day.