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Lawton, Geske urge passage of impartial justice bill
Posted: 10/20/2009 9:23:54 AM
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Lawton, Geske urge passage of "impartial justice" bill
By Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel
Oct. 19, 2009 4:29 p.m.
Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton called for passage of legislation that would provide public funding for Supreme Court races.
Lawton was joined by former Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee) and Bill Kraus, a Republican political operative and co-chairman of Common Cause of Wisconsin.
At a news conference at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Lawton and Geske said the bill was needed to reduce the partisanship that's marked recent elections.
When asked if Gov. Jim Doyle is doing enough to support the bill, Lawton said she wasn't in a position to make that judgment.
The bill would provide $400,000 in funding for the primary and general election for candidates who agree to the public funding option. About $6 million was spent in both the 2007 and 2008 campaigns for Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The measure is seen as having its best chance for passage in a decade because Democratic leaders in the Legislature say they back the bill. Six of seven justices on the court say they support some kind of public funding for high court elections. Justice Michael Gableman does not.
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http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/64803607.html
