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Thursday, January 04, 2007
Courts - Wisconsin Right to Life sues re questionaire to judges
A law suit similar to that filed in Indiana and several other states has now been filed in Wisconsin. As reported here in the Wisonsin State Journal:
Wisconsin Right to Life is suing two state agencies, alleging that rules prohibiting judicial candidates from expressing their views on "cases, controversies and issues" likely to come before them are unconstitutional.For background, start with this ILB entry from Nov. 14, 2006 titled "Indiana Supreme Court loses case on allowing judicial candidates to express views."The anti-abortion group is seeking to overturn state Supreme Court rules that prohibit judges and judicial candidates from freely expressing their views, saying the prohibitions violate candidates' constitutional rights to free speech and association.
The rules are enforced by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission and, for attorneys running for judgeships, by the state Office of Lawyer Regulation. * * *
Wisconsin Right to Life is asking U.S. District Judge John Shabaz to immediately suspend the rules to allow the group to quiz judicial candidates for the upcoming spring elections.
In its suit, Wisconsin Right to Life said it was unable to use its survey in 2006 because six of seven judicial candidates questioned declined to give their views, citing the Supreme Court rules. The group is asking for an immediate lifting of the rules to allow it to publish judicial candidates' answers to its questions.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 4, 2007 08:13 AM
Posted to Courts in general