The matter of David Prosser, a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, is probably a goner. Sooner, better. In front of witnesses (early reports confirmed), the volatile and violent Mr. Prosser attacked another justice physically, putting her in a chokehold. Prosser, a supporter of Wisconsin's anti-union governor and of the anti-union movement, should have recused himself from a Supreme Court ruling in the matter but didn't.
His vote to uphold the law occurred shortly after his re-election campaign in which he benefited from heavy anti-union independent spending.
Justice Prosser won the April election by a very small margin, prompting a recount. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that he then raised more than $270,000 for the recount, much of it in $50,000 chunks. (The contribution limits that apply under Wisconsin’s public financing system for judicial races do not extend to recounts.) Some $75,000 of the haul was used to pay fees to a law firm led by an attorney representing conservative groups in a case challenging state campaign disclosure rules, which is scheduled to be heard by the court next month.
Given the lawyer’s role in Justice Prosser’s recent recount success, a reasonable person might well question the judge’s impartiality on that case, too. After first saying he had no intention of recusing himself, Justice Prosser on Thursday asked the parties in the campaign finance case to file memos stating their views about recusal. It should not take a formal request for him to step aside. ...NYT
He should have been out of there -- long since. A special prosecutor has been named to investigate -- at least -- the attack on a fellow justice.
Suppose we were able to delete not all Republicans from the public scene but all Republicans who behave like mafiosi out of a Scorcese flick? Seriously? Wouldn't that pretty much return America to a point where we could expect a decent, reasonable future and have representatives who actually help us work for it?
