• Home
  • News
    • Politics / Govt
    • Legislature
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Archives
  • Sports
    • Badgers
    • Packers
      • Titletown Report
    • Brewers
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Politics / Govt / Changing how judges are selected

Changing how judges are selected

April 2, 2008 By WRN Contributor

Several groups have called the recent Supreme Court race one of the most negative campaigns in state history. As a result, one lawmaker is calling for a change in how we select our judges.

The race between Justice Louis Butler and Michael Gableman saw special interest groups spending millions of dollars on attack ads. State Representative Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee) predicts the trend will only grow worse, because the courts have ruled those groups can not be regulated.

The former judge is offering a Constitutional Amendment to change how Justices make it to the high court. He wants the Governor offer a nominee, which would then be confirmed to a ten year term by a majority vote in the Senate. After their first term, a Justice would need to be re-confirmed by at least 13 members of the Senate. Kessler says it would end the perception that groups can buy a seat on the Supreme Court.

Kessler says the solution is better than a public financing system that lawmakers declined to act on last session. He says the inability to control special interest spending makes all other financing issues insignificant.

The proposal received a cool response on the campaign trail by both candidates to the high court. Both argued it was better to let the people have a say in the selection process.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (MP3 :59)

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Politics / Govt



Featured Stories

Top-ranked Badger women’s volleyball the Unanimous Big Ten Preseason favorite

Big Ten suspends Wisconsin’s Ahcan

Bucks lose tight battle with Nets

Packers get rematch with Tampa Bay in NFC Championship

12th ranked Wisconsin sweeps Arizona State

TwitterFacebook

Listen Now | More from Titletown ยป

Sports Headlines

Top-ranked Badger women’s volleyball the Unanimous Big Ten Preseason favorite

Badgers go with familiar face as new defensive line coach

Big Ten suspends Wisconsin’s Ahcan

Bucks lose tight battle with Nets

Packers get rematch with Tampa Bay in NFC Championship

More Sports

Tweets by @WRN

Get our news delivered to your inbox:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC