Posted on 12/31/2011 11:37:17 AM PST by WOBBLY BOB
A prosecutor asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday to reopen his lawsuit challenging Gov. Scott Walker's contentious collective bargaining law, contending a justice who voted to dismiss the suit earlier this year got free legal help from the firm defending the law.
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne argued in filings with the court that it should vacate its decision because Justice Michael Gableman never disclosed his arrangement with the Michael Best and Friedrich law firm. Wisconsin's ethics code prohibits state officials from accepting free gifts, and the judicial ethics code bars judges from accepting gifts from anyone likely to appear before them.
Ozanne asked the court to reinstate a circuit judge's earlier ruling declaring the law void and to disqualify Gableman from participating in further proceedings if he won't recuse himself.
Gableman's attorney, Viet Dinh, didn't immediately return a message late Friday afternoon. He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week that he doesn't believe the free legal services amounted to a gift.
(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
Democrat rule book.
1)never give up
2)use any means possible
3)when in doubt see number 1 and implement #2
I am sure the Unions did...
Total carp.
There’s a law professor that has reviewed this under provisions of WI law in detail.
http://sharkandshepherd.blogspot.com/2011/12/michael-gableman-and-his-lawyer.html
After reading the whole article, the Justice had a contingent fee arrangement with the law firm for a particular case. The outcome of that case was such that the Justice did not have to pay a fee.
The contingent fee arrangement was similar to many other commonly used agreements.
I just don’t see where this amounts to a free gift of legal services.
He should also open up a lawsuit then against Madison Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi because she didn’t recuse herself from ruling against collective bargaining when she, her husband and her son are totally in with the unions and make regular donations to them.
It’s disconcerting that this took the populist-conservative steam that was building toward reining in out-of-control public employee benefits out of the campaign picture. Not only Scott Walker’s problems, but Kasich’s loss in the Ohio referendum. Meanwhile, the Washington Post touts that D.C. is one of the few areas of the country whose population is booming. I really thought the press was wavering and potentially would come down on the small government side, just because jobs in tha sector are so jeopardized.As has long been suspected, though, it’s pretty much out in the open that the reporters see their long term career prospects better served in the big government environment, http://www.salon.com/2011/12/23/why_everyone_hates_the_media/ : “And as with other countries that have a diverse press, one way you can ensure that one type of media is reporting things not in a partisan or a sensational way is to subsidize more of your public media. You could try to cultivate more the public radio and public television model, so that we ensure that some form of news that adheres to the ideal of objectivity still exists.” ( “Objectivity”—barf alert needed)
He had better be careful for what he wishes.....if that standard applies, then perhaps Squirrley Abrahamson and Ann (He's Choking Me...really! )Walsh-Bradley better recuse themselves as well, as their campaigns took millions from the unions arguing in this case.
well it’s just typical liberal hypocrisy. They never demand leftist judges ever recuse themselves from cases where there’s clear, known, obvious conflicts of interest. They’ve been pissed ever since Gableman won because he defeated an incumbent lefty (Butler) and it was something that hasn’t happened in over 50 years. And the court shifted from 4-3 liberal to 4-3 conservative. And Abrahamson and Walsh are two of the 3 lefties there and are extremely pissed the court most of the time will never rule the way they want, and for abrahamson she’s the chief justice so she’s even more pissed because she thinks it’s “her” court. All it means is she’s the oldest (longest career) judge there, there’s nothing special how Wisconsin determines the chief judge.
Wisconsin Dane County Lawsuit Ping
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