A Secondary Primary

Sunrise over Gov Nelson State Park. 2/5/23 dwm

Two weeks from today there is a primary election.  

 

In our community the only race on the ballot is paring the four candidates for Wisconsin's Supreme Court down to two.  The Spring election in April will determine who gets to serve on the highest court in the state for the next ten years.

It's a "non-partisan" election in that none of the candidates are nominated by a party.  In reality there are two conservative (Republican) judges and two liberal (Democrat) judges.

There is no secret which judges are which, while at the same time, two judges say their opponents shouldn't be allowed to vote on those issues if they come before the court. 

 

From what I've read there is a line that must not be crossed.  Crossing the line happens when judges promise or predict how they feel about a particular case.

In history, most judges deliberate based on the details of a particular case, laws on the book, prior decisions, and the constitution.  

 

We need that.  There are a number of milestone cases in United States Supreme Court history that had they gone the other way, it's difficult to imagine how our country might look (Brown v Board of Education, N.Y. Times v Sullivan, U.S. v Nixon).  We saw it most recently when a conservative court didn't automatically rule with the defeated incumbent President.

Whether the judge leans Democrat or Republican, decisions should be made from a more measured perspective.  More than anything, I hope that's what Wisconsin gets with its judiciary.