Gov. Scott Walker
Governor Scott Walker is now taking applications to fill an upcoming vacancy on the state Supreme Court, and he’s expecting a lot of competition for the seat.
Justice David Prosser announced Wednesday that he will step down from the high court at the end of July, ending an 18 year career on the bench and 40 years in public service. During a stop in Appleton Thursday, Walker said he expects the potential appointees to “come out of the woodwork” in the coming weeks. “I would not be at all surprised if we didn’t have a larger number of applicants for that position,” Walker said.
The list of names being thrown around is already quite long, with Walker mentioning former state Representative and current appeals court Judge Mark Gundrum as one many “good quality candidates.”
Walker appointed Gundrum to a seat on the appeals court.
However, the governor noted that he does not necessarily believe judicial experience is required to be appointed to the court. “I think there’s some merit to having people on the bench who practiced law, but didn’t necessarily serve on the bench,” he said. “I think it’s ok to have a mix of folks who have both legal experience as well as court experience.”
Whoever Walker appoints would serve in the seat through 2020, when they would have to decide whether to seek reelection to a full ten year term.
Contributed by WHBY