David Prosser Jr.

Last updated

David Prosser Jr.
Dave Prosser (3484692420) (3x4).jpg
Prosser in 2009
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
September 10, 1998 –July 31, 2016
Profession Attorney
Prosser in March 2011 Supreme Court Justice David Prosser.jpg
Prosser in March 2011

David Thomas Prosser Jr. [1] (born December 24, 1942) is an American jurist and politician who served as Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1995 to 1996, and as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1998 to 2016. He was an advisor to Wisconsin Assembly speaker Robin Vos as Vos sought a rationale for impeaching current Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Janet Protasiewicz.

Contents

Following his graduation from University of Wisconsin Law School, Prosser worked in Washington as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice and as an aide to U.S. Representative Harold Vernon Froehlich. Returning to Wisconsin, he began a private practice, worked as a district attorney for two years, then served 18 years as a Republican party legislator in the Wisconsin State Assembly. He was the state house minority leader for six of those years and Speaker of the Assembly for two years.

After an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. House in 1996, Prosser was appointed by Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson to a vacant seat on the state tax appeals board, then in 1998 to a vacant seat on Wisconsin Supreme Court. He was elected to his first 10-year term without opposition in 2001. He ran for reelection in April 2011 against little-known Wisconsin assistant attorney general JoAnne Kloppenburg. The race received national attention and was viewed as a referendum on efforts by Republican Governor Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature to curb the union rights of public workers in Wisconsin. [2] [3] The April 5, 2011, election was too close to call until two days later when the Waukesha County Clerk announced she had erroneously omitted more than 14,000 votes from her earlier tally. The additional votes gave Prosser a lead of over 7,000 which was sustained by a later recount.

Prosser received media attention in 2010 following verbal altercations with the chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and also in June 2011 when allegations were made of a physical altercation between Prosser and fellow associate justice Ann Walsh Bradley that occurred in connection with the union-curbing bill. [4] A special prosecutor investigated but declined to press criminal charges. [5] An ethics action against Prosser was recommended by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, [6] however, after three other justices recused themselves from the matter, no further action was taken. [7] Prosser returned to the spotlight in September 2023, when he emerged as an advisor to Wisconsin Assembly speaker Robin Vos in his attempts to find a rationale to impeach the newest Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, Janet Protasiewicz. [8]

Early life and education

Prosser was born in Chicago, Illinois, to David T. Prosser Sr. and his wife Elizabeth (Patterson) Prosser, [9] and was raised in Appleton, Wisconsin. After graduating from Appleton High School, he attended DePauw University, receiving his B.A. in 1965. [10] He went on to law school at the University of Wisconsin and received his J.D. in 1968. [10]

Career

Early career

Prosser lectured at Indiana University-Indianapolis Law School from 1968 to 1969, before working from 1969 to 1972 in Washington, D.C., as an attorney advisor in the Office of Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. [11] [12] He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1972, then served as an administrative assistant to U.S. Representative Harold Vernon Froehlich. Froehlich was a Republican and a former speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate impeachment hearings, in the 1973–1974 term, he was one of the few Republicans who voted in favor of impeaching Richard Nixon. Froehlich lost re-election in the Democratic wave of 1974. [10] [12] Prosser returned to Wisconsin and, after two years in private practice as a self-employed lawyer, he was elected Outagamie County district attorney in the 1976 election, serving from 1977 to 1978. [10] [13]

Wisconsin legislature

Prosser represented the Appleton area in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican from 1979 through 1996. [12] His committee assignments included Criminal Justice and Public Safety and Judiciary. [10] During his tenure in the Assembly, he served six years as Minority leader and two years as Speaker. [12]

In 1981, he opposed removing criminal penalties on sexual activity and cohabitation between unmarried, consulting adults, [14] though he did express a willingness to repeal the jail terms. [15] He stated that legalizing sex outside of marriage would increase divorce rates, the number of children born outside of wedlock, welfare payments, sexually transmitted diseases, and abortions. [15] In 1995, while he was Assembly Speaker, Prosser led the push for the new baseball stadium for the Milwaukee Brewers, saying that Wisconsin had a choice of being either a "big league or bush league" state. [16]

Campaign for U.S. Congress

In 1996 he ran for the 8th congressional district seat in the U.S. Congress vacated by retiring U.S. Representative Toby Roth. [17] Prosser won what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described as a "bitter and high-spending" primary, but was defeated in the general election by Democrat Jay W. Johnson. [17] One month later, Governor Thompson appointed Prosser to the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission where he conducted hearings and ruled on disputes related to state taxation. [12] [17]

Wisconsin Supreme Court

In September 1998, Thompson appointed Prosser to a vacant seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, hailing him as a conservative. [18] In an unusual move, a bipartisan group of 77 of the 132 state legislators sent a letter to Thompson supporting the appointment, describing Prosser as, "learned, thoughtful, and fiercely defensive of our system of law". [19]

In 2011, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Prosser is a "reliable judicial conservative, but he's also independent", [20] citing an August 2010 Wisconsin Law Journal analysis which concluded "Prosser voted with no justice more than 85% of the time, though he generally combined with three other conservative justices (Michael Gableman, Patience Roggensack, and Annette Ziegler), to form a 4-3 majority on the court. [21] The New York Times said some observers believe that Prosser is a member of a conservative 4-3 bloc on the court. [2]

In October 2010, Prosser indicated that he supported limiting free online access to Wisconsin trial court records because the information can be misused by employers and landlords, saying, "Some people are actually innocent, and they shouldn't be disadvantaged forever" by the online records. [22] Opponents of the change argued that restricting free online access may result in private vendors selling the information, and may conflict with Wisconsin's open records law. [22]

Following the decision in Donohoo v. Action Wisconsin Inc., Prosser voted to amend the state's judicial code of conduct to allow judges to decide cases involving their campaign contributors, [23] saying there are various levels of support and a campaign contribution or endorsement "in and of itself does not create so close or special relationship so as to require automatic recusal." [24] He has also said his policy is not to recuse himself from cases involving lawmakers he has served with in the past unless the case is actually about the lawmakers. [25]

Prosser retired from the Wisconsin Supreme Court on July 31, 2016. [26]

Other professional activities

Prosser served as a member of the Wisconsin Council of Criminal Justice (1980–1983), the Judicial Council Commission on Preliminary Examinations (1981), the Wisconsin Sentencing Commission (1984–1988, 1994–1995), the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Commission (1993–1999), and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (1983–1996). [12] [27]

Controversies

Decision not to prosecute abuse case

In 1978, while serving as District Attorney of Outagamie County, Prosser declined to prosecute a Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse by two brothers (ages 12 and 14), who said the priest had touched their chests and unsuccessfully attempted to touch lower. [28] Prosser later explained he did not file charges because the case was weak; it involved relatively new sexual assault laws that were untested at the time, and he did not think he could win a jury trial. [29] [30] He said he had assumed the priest, John Patrick Feeney, would be reassigned as a result of his discussion with Feeney's bishop. [31] The priest was not removed from duties which allowed him contact with children, and he went on to abuse other children before being sent to prison on a 15-year sentence in 2004. [28] [32] The prosecutor who ultimately and successfully prosecuted the case in the early 2000s said that when Prosser had the case in the 1970s, he was lacking sufficient information: "We were able to gather a wealth of information that far exceeded what Prosser had," he said, adding, "It's not fair to second-guess him now." [32] When interviewed in 2011 one of the victims said that in 1978 he and his brother had not communicated detailed information about the abuse to the authorities, and that when the case came to trial in 2002, Prosser helped in the prosecution. [29] [33]

During Prosser's 2011 run for re-election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the incident was revived in a political ad by a pro-union organization [34] which claimed that Prosser did not investigate the abuse allegations and participated in a coverup. [35] The ad was ultimately rated "Mostly False" by the fact-checking website, PolitiFact.com, which concluded that the ad omitted critical facts and created false impressions. [35] One of the abuse victims, who had been critical of Prosser's decision not to prosecute, criticized the ad as "offensive, inaccurate and out of context." [36] Prosser asked his opponent, Kloppenburg, to call for the removal of the ad—she replied that the First Amendment gave the group the right to run such ads. [37]

Assembly staffers used for campaigning

In 2006, Prosser testified on behalf of Wisconsin State Representative Scott Jensen who was being tried on three felony counts of misconduct in office because his legislative staffers also performed campaign activity on his behalf. Prosser stated that during seven years of his own tenure in the Wisconsin Assembly, he had used his taxpayer-funded staff for campaigning—the same crime Jensen was eventually convicted of. [38] [39] Prosser was not charged, and defended the actions saying, "it was a different era and public expectations were quite different". However critics described this as illegal activity, and the Appleton Post Crescent, Prosser's hometown paper, found Prosser's admissions sufficient reason to endorse Prosser's opponent in the 2011 election, saying Prosser fell short of having the "unimpeachable integrity" required of a high court judge because he had admittedly "condoned illegal activity" while serving as an elected official. [40]

Altercations with other justices

During a closed-door debate between the justices on February 10, 2010, Prosser called Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson "a total bitch" and threatened to "destroy her". [41] A review of emails by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel indicated that "justices on both sides described the court as dysfunctional, and Prosser and others suggested bringing in a third party for help". [41] The 2010 conflict on the court was also criticized as having a potential for lowering court productivity and distracting the focus of the justices. [42] Prosser admitted he overreacted, but justified his statements, saying he had been goaded, bullied and abused by two other justices for a long time, [41] and that the fights were caused by liberal members of the court "ganging up" on him and attempting to create a "foul atmosphere". [43] He also said the March 2011 revelations of the year-old altercation were an attempt to hurt his bid for re-election. [41] [43] When interviewed in March 2011, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley acknowledged Prosser had had outbursts over the years, but said there had not been one of significant magnitude since February 2010. She also commented that, "he is a good man - but you cannot accurately say he has a steady, even temperament." [41]

Conflicting media reports on June 25, 2011 indicated that Prosser had gotten into an altercation with Bradley on June 13, 2011 in her office, which allegedly became physical. [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] The dispute occurred during a discussion in Bradley's office with four other Justices present, before the court issued its June 13, 2011 split decision to uphold the law limiting collective bargaining rights for most Wisconsin state public employees. [45] In one report, witnesses alleged that after Bradley told Prosser to leave her office, Prosser grabbed Bradley around the neck in what was described as a chokehold. Prosser claimed that Bradley charged Prosser with her fist raised, and that in attempting to block her, he made contact with her neck. Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs was notified of the incident, and met with the entire Supreme Court. Investigations into the matter were opened by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission and the Dane County Sheriff's office. [49] After initially saying he would refrain from comment until a proper investigation was completed, [3] Prosser denied he choked Bradley saying, "claims made to the media will be proven false." Bradley then made a public statement saying that Prosser, "put his hands around my neck in anger in a chokehold", as she was asking him to leave her office. [44] [45] [46] [47] [48]

The Dane County Sheriff's office gave its findings to county District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, who referred the matter to special prosecutor Patricia Barrett; Barrett ultimately ruled in late August 2011 that the circumstances and evidence reviewed did not support the filing of criminal charges. [5] On March 16, 2012, the Wisconsin Judicial Commission filed an ethics complaint against Prosser, "recommending that the court discipline him for alleged misconduct", [6] [50] however, three conservative members of the court recused themselves from the matter, with the result that no quorum existed, and no decision could be made. [7]

Failure to recuse during "John Doe" probe of Scott Walker

Leaked files obtained by the Guardian revealed that a network of dark money groups spent $3.5 million to pay for TV and radio ads backing the judge during his 2011 campaign. [51] [52] According to these leaked emails "The push was seen as vital, the documents disclose, as a means of retaining the rightwing majority of the court and thereby preserving the anti-union measures introduced by Walker. 'If we lose [Justice Prosser], the Walker agenda is toast,' one ally writes in an email sent around to the governor’s chief of staff and several conservative lobbyists." [52] In 2015, a John Doe probe into Scott Walker's funding sources during the 2012 recall campaign against him involved the same set groups that funded Prosser's 2011 campaign. [52] Despite the obvious possible conflicts of interest, Prosser refused to recuse himself, ultimately casting the deciding vote to terminate the probe. [52] Prosser told the Guardian that four years had passed since his re-election before he joined the decision to close the John Doe investigation, over which time any potential conflict of interest had faded. [52]

Advising Republican leadership regarding impeachment

In fall 2023, Prosser was included in a special panel to advise Wisconsin Assembly speaker Robin Vos on the question of impeaching the newest Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, Janet Protasiewicz. This followed several weeks of acrimony as Vos threatened impeachment to prevent the justice from participating in pending redistricting cases. Prosser's opinion on the matter became known through an October 6 letter to the speaker, which read: [53] [54]

Section 1 of Article VII states that before the trial of impeachment, "the members of the court [Senate] shall take an oath or affirmation truly and impartially to try impeachment according to evidence." In my view, there is no assurance that two-thirds of the present "court" would be convinced that they are bound "impartially" by the "evidence" to vote for impeachment. Once again, the "evidence" has to persuade members of the court... and a large percentage of the public... that impeachment is legitimate. Impeachment that appears to be solely partisan will likely backfire.

Even if a Supreme Court Justice were impeached and convicted, the governor would promptly name a successor who might be more problematic.

The Constitution also provides that "no judicial officer shall exercise his [or her] office, after he [or she] shall be impeached, until his [or her] acquittal." To impeach a justice solely to delay a case or cases will be viewed as unreasonable partisan politics.

To sum up my views, there should be no effort to impeach Justice Protasiewicz on anything we know now. Impeachment is so serious, severe, and rare that it should not be considered unless the subject has committed a crime, or the subject has committed indisputable "corrupt conduct" while "in office."

2011 re-election campaign

Prosser faced JoAnne Kloppenburg, a long-time but little-known Wisconsin assistant attorney general, in both the February 5, 2011, spring primary, and the April 5 run-off election.

Primary election

In December 2010, Prosser's campaign director expressed strong support for governor-elect Walker, saying Prosser's "personal ideology more closely mirrors" Walker's, and that a win by Prosser would result in, "protecting the conservative judicial majority and acting as a common sense complement to both the new administration and Legislature." [55] He later disavowed the statements and claimed he had not seen the release. [56] Prosser's campaign manager also said that, "This election is about a 4-3 commonsense conservative majority vs. a 3-4 liberal majority, and nothing more." [57] [58]

In a survey of attorneys conducted by the Milwaukee Bar Association that was published February 2011, Prosser received more votes saying he was "qualified" than any of his opponents; besting Kloppenburg by a margin of 296 to 112. [59] He was endorsed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the Sun Prairie Star. [60] He won the primary handily, receiving 231,000 votes to second-place finisher Kloppenburg's 105,000 votes; a 30% margin.

General election

In the general election of April 5, 2011, Prosser again faced Kloppenburg. The contest received considerable attention due to the 2011 Wisconsin protests of Walker's budget repair bill and limitations on public employee bargaining rights; issues which would likely soon come before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Kloppenburg supporters attempted to tie Prosser to the policies of Republican governor Scott Walker, and his March 2011 law limiting most of Wisconsin's public employees' collective bargaining rights. The non-partisan race for the court seat was also characterized as a proxy battle or referendum on the administration of Governor Walker and other Republican officials. [2] [61] [62] Both candidates stated their unhappiness regarding the increased partisan aspect of the race, [63] [64] with Prosser claiming that if he was defeated, it would mean the end of judicial independence. [65]

On March 31, Prosser's campaign co-chair, former Democratic governor Patrick Lucey, resigned from the campaign and endorsed Kloppenburg, saying it appeared that Prosser had lost his impartiality, and was showing "a disturbing distemper and lack of civility that does not bode well for the High Court". [66]

The Wausau Daily Herald reversed its primary election endorsement, and urged its readers to vote against Prosser in the general, describing him as "an intemperate figure given to partisan rhetoric". [67] Citing the earlier statement of Prosser's campaign director that the election is about maintaining a conservative majority on the court, The Capital Times endorsed Kloppenburg. [68] Prosser was endorsed by the Sun Prairie Star, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin (via Twitter), among others for the general election. [69]

State officials predicted a voter turnout of around 20 percent, a typical level of turnout for an April election. [70] However, voter interest and turnout were unusually high with nearly 1.5 million votes cast. [71]

Result

The day after the election, Kloppenburg was thought to be ahead by a razor-thin margin of 204-votes, leading her to prematurely declare victory. [72] [73] Late in the afternoon of April 7, Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus announced that the preliminary vote totals she had given to the Associated Press on April 6 did not include 14,315 votes from Brookfield, her county's second largest city and one of the most Republican. The announcement changed the unofficial total, giving Prosser a lead of over 7,000 votes which likely would not be changed by a recount. [74] Other, much smaller errors in the preliminary count were found in other counties favoring both candidates. [75] A final vote canvass of all the counties in Wisconsin gave Prosser an official lead of 7,316 votes on April 15. [76] Kloppenburg did request a recount at taxpayer expense (costing as much as $500,000) [77] and Prosser was eventually declared the winner by 7,006 votes. [78]

New York Times analyst Nate Silver declared on April 8 that Nickolaus' error pointed to incompetence, not conspiracy. [79] However, Democrats called on Nickolaus to resign, citing her previous employment under Prosser in the mid-1990s as a member of the assembly caucus [76] and questions about her procedures and counts in prior elections. [80] State election officials announced an investigation of possible voting irregularities going back to 2006. [81]

Electoral history

2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court Non-partisan general election recount - May 23, 2011 [75]
CandidateVotes %
David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent)752,69450.17
Joanne Kloppenburg745,69049.70
Write ins1,729.11
2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court Non-partisan general election - April 5, 2011 [75]
CandidateVotes %
David Prosser (incumbent)752,32350.2
Joanne Kloppenburg745,00749.8
2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court Non-partisan primary election - February 15, 2011 [82]
CandidateVotes %
David Prosser (incumbent)231,01755
Joanne Kloppenburg105,00225
Marla Stephens45,25611
Joel Winnig37,8319
2001 Wisconsin Supreme Court General
Non-partisan election [83]
CandidateVotes %
David Prosser (incumbent)549,86099.53
(Scattering)2,5690.47
U.S. House of Representatives, Wisconsin's 8th District 1996 General Election, November 5, 1996 [84]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jay W. Johnson 129,551 52
Republican David T. Prosser Jr.119,39848
Democratic gain from Republican
Wisconsin State Assembly 57th District - General Election November 8, 1994 [85]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent) 12,277 100
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 57th District General Election November 1992 [86]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent) 16,392 68
Democratic Michael Meyer7,79032
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 57th District General Election November 1990 [87]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent) 11,342 69
Democratic Michael Meyer5,14431
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 57th District General Election November 1988 [88]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent) 16,280 73
Democratic Kathleen P. Hartman6,07727
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 57th District General Election November 4, 1986 [89]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent) 12,001 74
Democratic Kathleen P. Hartman4,29126
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 57th District General Election November 1984 [90]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent) 16,728 100
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 79th District General Election November 1982 [91]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent) 10,855 68
Democratic David N. Innis5,13532
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 42nd District General Election November 1980 [92]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. (incumbent) 13,301 100
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 42nd District General Election November 7, 1978 [93]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. 9,991 66
Democratic James F. Schreiter5,12434
Republican hold
Wisconsin State Assembly 42nd District Primary Election September 12, 1978 [94]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David T. Prosser Jr. 3,822 69
Republican Arnold E. Grommer1,68531
Wisconsin State Assembly 42nd District Primary Election September 12, 1972 [95]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Tobias A. Roth 4,383 53
Republican David T. Prosser Jr.3,25639
Republican Norman Austin4025
Republican Neal W. Wellman2273

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Lucey</span> American politician (1918–2014)

Patrick Joseph Lucey was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th Governor of Wisconsin from 1971 to 1977. He was also independent presidential candidate John B. Anderson's running mate in the 1980 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Supreme Court</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Walsh Bradley</span> American judge (born 1950)

Ann Walsh Bradley is an American lawyer and jurist, and the longest currently-serving justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She was elected to the Supreme Court in 1995 and was re-elected in 2005 and 2015. She has announced she will not run for re-election again; her term expires July 31, 2025. She previously served ten years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Marathon County, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N. Patrick Crooks</span> American judge (1938–2015)

Neil Patrick Crooks was an American lawyer. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1996 until his death in 2015. He was appointed as a county judge by a Democratic governor, later professing conservatism as a Supreme Court candidate in 1995 and 1996. In his later years, Crooks gained notice as a perceived judicial moderate and swing vote on a court otherwise divided into two ideological blocs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Vos</span> American politician (born 1968)

Robin Joseph Vos is an American businessman and Republican politician and the 79th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving in that role since 2013. He has been a member of the Assembly since 2005, representing most of the southern half of Racine County. Vos is also president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JoAnne Kloppenburg</span> American judge (born 1953)

JoAnne Fishman Kloppenburg is an American lawyer who has served as a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals since 2012 in the Madison-based District IV. Kloppenburg was previously an assistant attorney general in the Wisconsin Department of Justice and was a candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2011 and 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court election</span>

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election of 2011 took place on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. The incumbent justice, David Prosser, Jr., was re-elected to another ten-year term, defeating assistant Wisconsin Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg. Unlike past elections for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the race gained significant nationwide publicity as it was widely seen as the first referendum on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's proposed anti-union legislation and the resulting protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election</span>

The 2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election was a special election to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Wisconsin. It resulted in voters re-electing incumbent Republican governor Scott Walker over the Democratic candidate Tom Barrett by a larger margin than in 2010 when Walker also faced Barrett. Recall organizers opposed Walker's agenda, particularly his limiting of collective bargaining rights for state employees and they collected over 900,000 signatures to initiate the recall election process. There was also a recall for Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. She won her race, defeating Democrat Mahlon Mitchell, making her the first lieutenant governor to run in and survive a recall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Bradley</span> American judge (born 1971)

Rebecca Lynn Grassl Bradley is an American lawyer, and justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, serving since 2015. She has been a state judge in Wisconsin since 2012. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Scott Walker in 2015, and won election to a 10-year term in 2016.

Brian Keith Hagedorn is an American lawyer and a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, serving since 2019. Prior to his election to the supreme court, he served four years as a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary</span>

The 2016 Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary was held on April 5 in the U.S. state of Wisconsin as one of the Democratic Party's primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders won the contest with 56.5%, distancing nationwide frontrunner Hillary Clinton by 13 percentage points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Wisconsin Republican presidential primary</span>

The 2016 Wisconsin Republican presidential primary was held on April 5 in the U.S. state of Wisconsin as one of the Republican Party's primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Texas senator Ted Cruz won the contest with 48%, ahead of nationwide frontrunner Donald Trump by 13 percentage points. Taking advantage of the state's two-level "winner takes all" provision, Cruz took 36 out of the 42 available delegates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Wisconsin elections</span>

The 2016 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 8, 2016. One of Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seats and all eight seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election, as well as half of the Wisconsin Senate seats and all 99 Wisconsin State Assembly seats. Voters also chose ten electors to represent them in the Electoral College, which then participated in selecting the 45th president of the United States. The 2016 Fall Partisan Primary was held on August 9, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Kelly (Wisconsin judge)</span> American judge, former Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Daniel Kelly is an American attorney and former judge who served as a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice from August 1, 2016, through July 31, 2020.

Rachel Anne Graham is an American lawyer, currently serving as judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Madison-based District IV court. She was appointed in 2019 by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election</span>

The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. Milwaukee County circuit judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Daniel Kelly, effectively flipping the ideological balance of the court from a conservative to liberal majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Protasiewicz</span> American judge (born 1962)

Janet Claire Protasiewicz is an American attorney and jurist from Wisconsin who has served as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court since August 2023. Protasiewicz was elected to the court in the 2023 election, after previously serving as a Milwaukee County circuit court judge in from 2014 to 2023 and as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee for 26 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election</span> American state judicial election

The 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election will be held on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, to elect a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. The incumbent justice, Ann Walsh Bradley, is retiring after 30 years on the court. Although the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are considered nonpartisan, Bradley has identified as a liberal and has voted with the liberal 4–3 majority on the court, meaning the outcome of this election will decide the ideological majority of the court for at least the next year.

Impeachment in Wisconsin is the main process by which the Wisconsin Legislature can bring charges and decide whether to remove state officers from their positions. A simple majority of the Wisconsin State Assembly can impeach an officer, after which the Wisconsin Senate acts as the court of trial, where a two-thirds majority is required to convict. In the event of a conviction, the punishment may be removal from office or removal and disqualification to hold state office.

James Roberts Troupis is an American lawyer and Republican political operative from Dane County, Wisconsin. He was an attorney for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, and was involved in the efforts to overturn the election results. He was also involved in the plot to produce fraudulent electoral votes to challenge the legitimate electoral votes at the January 6 certification. As a result of his involvement in the fraudulent elector plot, he has been charged with conspiracy to utter as legitimate a forged document.

References

  1. ↑ Who's Who in American Law, 2002-2003. Marquis Who's Who. 2002. p. 515.
  2. 1 2 3 Monica Davey (April 5, 2011). "Wisconsin Election Turns Into Referendum on Governor". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 Monica Davey (June 25, 2011). "Wisconsin Judge Said to Have Attacked Colleague". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Lueders, Bill (June 25, 2011). "Supreme Court spat got physical". Wisconsin Watch . Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Jason Stein & Larry Sandler (August 25, 2011). "Special prosecutor: No charges for Prosser, Bradley in fracas". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 21, 2013. Sauk County District Attorney Patricia Barrett steered clear of specifics about her reasons not to issue charges 'The totality of the facts and the circumstances and all of the evidence that I reviewed did not support my filing criminal charges,' Barrett said
  6. 1 2 Dee J. Hall (March 16, 2012). "Judicial Commission recommends discipline for Prosser". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  7. 1 2 Bruce Vielmetti (August 10, 2012). "Gableman joins recusals in Prosser discipline case". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Impeachment review panel includes David Prosser, a conservative former justice who was a Republican Assembly speaker". PBS Wisconsin . September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  9. ↑ Staff reporter (January 4, 1943). "Anne Boswell Is Engaged to Jack Monroe". The Chicago Tribune.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "1979-1980 blue book: Biographies and pictures". The State of Wisconsin. 1980. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Prosser, Jr., David T. 1942". Dictionary of Wisconsin History. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Supreme Court Justices - David T. Prosser Jr". Wisconsin Court System. Archived from the original on March 28, 2011.
  13. ↑ AP staff reporter (September 10, 1998). "Prosser joins Supreme Court Geske replacement: Justice begins hearing arguments after hearing ceremony". The Telegraph Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. Associated Press. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  14. ↑ UPI staff reporter (May 6, 1981). "Sexual activity bill gets reprieve". The Telegraph-Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. UPI. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  15. ↑ "A home run for state, Milwaukee". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. September 25, 1995. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 Amy Rinard (December 10, 1996). "Thompson Appoints Prosser To Tax Appeals Commission". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  17. ↑ Richard P. Jones (September 5, 1998). "Prosser named to Supreme Court - Thompson selection comes days before justices will begin new term" (Pay per view). Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  18. ↑ Walters, Steven (May 15, 1998). "Lawmakers back Prosser for high court". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  19. ↑ Journal Sentinel editorial board (April 2, 2011). "Prosser a vote for independence" (opinion). Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  20. ↑ Ziemer, David (August 9, 2010). "Ziegler in majority most often". Wisconsin Law Journal. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  21. 1 2 Patrick Marley (October 4, 2010). "Online court records misused? State justice Prosser in favor of limiting access to prevent discrimination". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  22. ↑ Alex De Grand (January 22, 2010). "Wisconsin Supreme Court adopts amended recusal rules". State Bar of Wisconsin. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Denial of Motion to Vacate Decision Related to the Disqualification of Justice" (PDF). James R. Donohoo v. Action Wisconsin, Inc and Christopher Ott Case No 2006AP396. Supreme Court of Wisconsin. July 30, 2008.
  24. ↑ AP staff reporter (March 25, 2011). "Prosser says he won't recuse himself in union rights case". Wisconsin Law Journal. The Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Justice David T. Prosser, Jr. to retire from Supreme Court July 31", Wisconsin Court System, April 27, 2016
  26. ↑ "Supreme Court Justices, Biographies, pgs. 1-16" (PDF). 2003-2004 Wisconsin Blue Book. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  27. 1 2 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel staff reporter (May 19, 2008). "Justice denies wrongdoing in abuse case - Prosser says he urged removal of priest". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  28. 1 2 "Priest Sex Abuse Case Resurrected In Political Ad". WISN Milwaukee. March 24, 2011. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  29. ↑ AP staff reporter (May 18, 2008). "David Prosser Speaks About Priest Abuse". WJFW TV-12, WJFWDT 12.1 and Newswatch 12. The Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  30. ↑ AP staff reporter (May 23, 2008). "Prosser Defends '78 Meeting". Madison.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  31. ↑ Sharif Durhams & Don Walker (March 25, 2011). "Abuse victim criticizes ad against Prosser - 3 years ago, man was critical of decision not to prosecute". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Greater Wisconsin Committee - Candidate supported: JoAnne Kloppenburg". March 25, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  33. 1 2 "Greater Wisconsin Committee says Supreme Court Justice David Prosser mishandled allegation of sex abuse by priest". Politifact Wisconsin. March 29, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011. Barely true
  34. ↑ Sharif Durhams & Don Walker (March 25, 2011). "Abuse victim criticizes ad against Prosser:3 years ago, man was critical of decision not to prosecute". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  35. ↑ Patrick Marley (March 25, 2011). "In Madison debate, Prosser calls Kloppenburg an 'ideologue' - She fires back at justice's role in Supreme Court's divisiveness". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Jensen's Former Employees Defend Old Boss - Lawmaker Embroiled In Misconduct Trial". Channel3000.com. March 7, 2006. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Judge Refuses To Toss Charges Against Jensen, Aide". Channel3000.com. February 3, 2006. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Editorial: Supreme Court: One issue doesn't add up". Appleton Post Crescent. March 26, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 Patrick Marley (March 19, 2011). "Supreme Court tensions boil over - Prosser says he was goaded into insulting chief justice". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  40. ↑ Jack Zemlicka (March 25, 2011). "High court conflict threatens credibility". Wisconsin Law Journal. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  41. 1 2 "Wisconsin justice says he doesn't start fights on court" . Superior Telegram. March 22, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011. Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser said Tuesday that liberal-leaning justices have orchestrated the bitter infighting that has consumed the court to hurt his chances at re-election.
  42. 1 2 "Bradley says Prosser choked her". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. June 25, 2011.
  43. 1 2 3 Crocker Stephenson; Cary Spivak & Patrick Marley. "Justices' feud gets physical: Prosser, Bradley clashed on eve of union ruling". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  44. 1 2 Crocker Stephenson (June 25, 2011). "Prosser: Reports false that he placed hands on neck of other justice". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  45. 1 2 John Hart (June 26, 2011). "Wis. justice accuses colleague of choking her". USAToday. Associated Press.
  46. 1 2 "Wis. justice accuses colleague of choking her". NBC News. Associated Press.
  47. ↑ Two probes opened into Bradley claim. JSOnline, June 27, 2011
  48. ↑ Ethics violations filed against Prosser
  49. ↑ Journal, Matthew DeFour | Wisconsin State (September 15, 2016). "Leaked John Doe documents paint fuller picture of case against Scott Walker campaign". madison.com. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  50. 1 2 3 4 5 Pilkington, Ed (September 14, 2016). "Leaked documents reveal secretive influence of corporate cash on politics". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  51. ↑ Beck, Molly (October 10, 2023). "Robin Vos now silent on impeachment after former justice David Prosser tells him not to pursue". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice advises Republican leader against impeachment". October 11, 2023.
  53. ↑ Patrick Marley (December 9, 2010). "First dust-up emerges in race for Supreme Court". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  54. ↑ "Kloppenburg, Prosser Spar Over Impartiality". WTMJ4 (AP). March 22, 2011. Archived from the original on March 29, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  55. ↑ Abe Sauer (March 24, 2011). "Wisconsin's Nasty Spring Election: Impartiality with Its Sleeves Rolled". The Awl. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  56. ↑ "Kloppenburg says Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Prosser "has prejudged matters that are likely to come before the court"". PolitiFact Wisconsin. Politifact.com. March 27, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011. Barely true
  57. ↑ Sandler, Larry (February 10, 2011). "Prosser tops Milwaukee bar ratings for state high court". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  58. ↑ Wausau Daily Herald Editorial Board (February 7, 2011). "In The Primary Elections We endorse". Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved April 2, 2011.[ dead link ];
    Sun Prairie Star Editorial Board (February 4, 2011). "Our View: We Endorse ... Prosser, Bruskewitz get our nods". Sun Prairie Star. Sun Prairie, WI. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board (February 11, 2011). "We back Prosser - David Prosser is a hard-working, experienced justice. He is not the primary cause of the Supreme Court's squabbling". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  59. ↑ Steven Elbow (March 23, 2011). "Enraged by Walker, activists put Kloppenburg's Supreme Court campaign on their shoulders". The Capital Times. Madison.com. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  60. ↑ AP staff reporter (March 28, 2011). "Supreme Court race all about union bargaining law". Beloit Daily News. The Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  61. ↑ WTAQ staff (March 15, 2011). "Supreme Court Candidates Unhappy With Partisan Aspect in Race". WTAQ News Talk 97.5FM. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  62. ↑ "State Supreme Court candidates face off in heated race". Green Bay Press Gazette. March 27, 2011. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  63. ↑ JR Ross (March 28, 2011). "Prosser says his defeat would destroy judicial independence, Kloppenburg knocks him as partisan". WisPolitics. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  64. ↑ "Former Gov. Lucey Leaves Prosser's Campaign, Endorses Kloppenburg". Channel3000.com. April 1, 2011. Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  65. ↑ Wausau Daily Herald Editorial board (March 24, 2011). "We endorse ... For state Supreme Court: JoAnne Kloppenburg". Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved April 2, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  66. ↑ Capitol Times editorial board (March 16, 2011). "Put independent Kloppenburg on court". Capitol Times. Madison, WI: Madison.com. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  67. ↑ Sun Prairie Editorial Board (March 24, 2011). "Our View: We endorse... Bruskewitz, Prosser among those receiving our April 5 election nods". Sun Prairie Star. Sun Prairie, WI. Retrieved April 2, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
    "Prosser a vote for independence". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 2, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
    "Palin endorses Prosser in Wis. Supreme Court race". Wisconsin Law Journal. April 1, 2001. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
  68. ↑ AP staff reporter (March 28, 2011). "20 percent turnout expected for Wis April election". Madison.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  69. ↑ Todd Richmond (April 6, 2011). "Wis. court election too close to call amid anger over union rights law". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 10, 2011.
  70. ↑ "Unofficial Wis. results show court challenger leads by 204 votes". USA Today. April 6, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  71. ↑ "Kloppenburg declares victory". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 6, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  72. ↑ Bill Glauber; Jason Stein & Sharif Durhams (April 9, 2011). "Prosser camp open to Waukesha County-only recount; Election officials scrutinizing voting results". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  73. 1 2 3 "Updated vote tallies for state Supreme Court". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 15, 2011.
  74. 1 2 "Canvass shows conservative incumbent wins Wisconsin supreme court race". FOX News. Associated Press. April 15, 2011.
  75. ↑ Kloppenburg requests recount in state Supreme Court race
  76. ↑ Prosser wins recount in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
  77. ↑ Nate Silver (April 8, 2011). "Vote-Counting Error In Wisconsin Points to Incompetence, Not Conspiracy". The New York Times.
  78. ↑ Mike Johnson (April 11, 2011). "Expanded probe of Waukesha County election procedures sought State Democrats make request after an apparent discrepancy is discovered in 2006 results". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  79. ↑ Michael Winter (April 15, 2011). "Canvass shows Wis. incumbent Justice Prosser has won re-election". USA Today.
  80. ↑ "Canvass Results for 2011 Spring Primary" (PDF). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. February 15, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  81. ↑ "Wisconsin State Elections Board Results of Spring General Election 04/03/2001". Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. May 3, 2001. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  82. ↑ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election" (PDF). Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. November 5, 1996.
  83. ↑ "1995-1996 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1995. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  84. ↑ "1993-1994 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1993. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  85. ↑ "1991-1992 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1991. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  86. ↑ "1989-1990 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1989. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  87. ↑ "1987-1988 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1987. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  88. ↑ "1985-1986 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1985. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  89. ↑ "1983-1984 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1983. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  90. ↑ "1981-1982 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1981. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  91. ↑ "1979-1980 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1979. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  92. ↑ "1979-1980 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1979. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  93. ↑ "1973 blue book: Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin. 1973. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded byMember of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 42nd district
1979 –1983		Succeeded by
Preceded byMember of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 79th district
1983 –1985		Succeeded by
Preceded byMember of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 57th district
1985 –1997		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Wisconsin Assembly
1989 –1995		Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
1995 –1997		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by
Kenneth F. Rottier
 District Attorney of Outagamie County, Wisconsin
1977 –1979		Succeeded by
William Drengler
Preceded by Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
1998 –2016		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.