With the passing of State Supreme Court Justice N. Patrick Crooks, Wisconsin liberals wasted no time making it clear they didn’t want Governor Scott Walker to appoint Judge Rebecca Bradley to the Court.
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Many observers expected the move after the Republican Walker appointed her to the state appeals court in May, and to a Milwaukee County circuit judgeship in 2012.
Scott Walker appointed conservative-backed appellate judge Rebecca Bradley to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday, giving her the advantage of incumbency heading into the spring election.
Walker previously appointed Bradley to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2012 and to the 1st District Court of Appeals, which covers Milwaukee County, in May. She was chosen over two others who sought the appointment.
Bradley is downplaying that, saying it’s ultimately the decision of the voters to pick a justice to serve for the next 10 years. The term begins in August, when Bradley’s temporary appointment ends. As Milwaukee County Judge, Judge Bradley presided in Children’s Court, where she handled a large caseload of complex matters involving guardianship and parental rights, juvenile delinquency and criminal matters, and children or juveniles in need of protection or services.
Geske resigned from the court in 1998, and Sykes was appointed in 2004 to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, where she remains today. He was the only justice not present during a physical altercation between Prosser and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in 2011, an episode that laid bare tensions between the conservative and liberal justices and fueled perceptions of a dysfunctional court.
Kloppenburg, however, took the high road, running a relatively low-key campaign in which she refused to talk about partisan issues. I look forward to working with her as a colleague.
Bradley earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Business Economics at Marquette University in 1993. Further, the “green banana” card they were going to play got pulled out of the deck now that she’ll have Supreme Court experience.
Bradley worked in private practice for 16 years, first at Hinshaw & Culbertson and then with Whyte Hirschboek Dudek, where she co-chaired the firm’s Technology Law Group.
The latest dispute on the high court came over an amendment to the state constitution approved by voters in April that gives the justices the ability to select the chief justice, rather than have that job automatically go to the most senior member of the court. She retained the circuit court seat in a 2013 election. The 77-year-old died in office last month.
“The choice in this campaign could not now be clearer: Governor Walker’s choice or the people’s choice”, Kloppenburg said in a statement.
Covelli signaled he was strongly considering a run and would decide soon.
“Whether you like me, dislike me, or are somewhere in between, even for those people who are ardent supporters of mine, they shouldn’t be looking at the appointment”, Walker said.
“I shouldn’t disqualify someone just because they’ve announced their candidacy”, said Gov. Walker.
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A primary election scheduled for February would narrow down the field to two candidates who would face off on April 5.
