Feb

3

The Court of Appeals Speaks in the Recall Case

Posted by: | February 3, 2012 | 10 Comments

Today, the District IV Court of Appeals issued an opinion that reverses a ruling by the Waukesha County Circuit Court denying a motion to intervene in the case of Friends of Scott Walker v. Brennan.  The practical impact of today’s Court of Appeals decision is that the committees seeking the recall of Governor Walker and other [...]

Print Friendly

Feb

2

Tommy Thompson to Critics: Get Out of My Way

Posted by: | February 2, 2012 | 2 Comments

It was near the end of Mike Gousha’s interview with US Senate candidate Tommy Thompson. Alluding to critics, many from the right, Gousha asked, “So when they say –and they do say — Tommy Thompson is part of the problem in Washington, not part of the solution, you say?” “Get out of my way,” Thompson [...]

Print Friendly

Jan

28

Prosecutorial Discretion in the John Doe Investigation

Posted by: | January 28, 2012 | 2 Comments

Over at the Shark and Shepherd Blog, Rick Esenberg has put up a post questioning whether the recently filed criminal complaint in the ongoing John Doe investigation of the County Executive’s Office during Scott Walker’s tenure justifies the time and expense spent thus far on the investigation. I posted several comments in response to Rick’s [...]

Print Friendly

Jan

27

The Two Political Half-States of Wisconsin

Posted by: | January 27, 2012 | 3 Comments

Gov. Scott Walker’s job performance is drawing strong disapproval—in the city of Milwaukee. Gov. Scott Walker’s job performance is drawing strong approval—in the rest of the Milwaukee media market. A big thumbs up for Walker across most of the state of Wisconsin. A big thumbs down in Madison. The two half-states of Wisconsin—one with clear [...]

Print Friendly

Jan

25

Marquette Law School Poll: The First Results Are Out

Posted by: | January 25, 2012 | 1 Comment

The first results from the Marquette Law School Poll, the largest political polling project in Wisconsin history, were released Wednesday morning, providing a fresh and provocative view of public opinion across the state. The full poll results can be found here. At noon today (Jan. 25), Charles Franklin, visiting professor of law and public policy and director of [...]

Print Friendly

Jan

20

A “Paper-Shuffling Bureaucrat” at Center Stage in Wisconsin Politics

Posted by: | January 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Kevin Kennedy refers to himself as “just a paper-shuffling bureaucrat. – I haven’t moved to rock star status.” But sometimes, timing is everything. So that’s why there were a gaggle of television cameras, a cluster of reporters, and about 200 others in the room when Kennedy joined Mike Gousha for an “On the Issues” session [...]

Print Friendly

Jan

19

Providing Straight Information on Public Opinion in a Historic Political Time

Posted by: | January 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Amid the amazing tumult on the Wisconsin political scene, with partisanship and passion running so high, how can you get straight information about what voters are thinking? One good answer: You can run a large-scale polling project, adhering to the highest standards of professionalism and non-partisanship. You can poll repeatedly throughout the year, so that [...]

Print Friendly

Jan

11

The GAB’s Duty of “Careful Examination”: Why Judge Davis Got It Right

Posted by: | January 11, 2012 | 11 Comments

I have written a few things on my personal blog about the GAB’s authority and duty to conduct a more thorough review of recall petitions than it apparently intends to conduct. Last Thursday, Judge Mac Davis ordered a more extensive review. Ed Fallone thinks that the judge got it wrong. I disagree. Here’s why. Ed [...]

Print Friendly

Jan

10

New Ventures and Old

Posted by: | January 10, 2012 | Leave a Comment

As some members of the Law School know, last winter I received a grant from the Bradley Foundation to form a nonprofit law center that has come to be known as the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. WILL engages in public education and litigation in the public interest with respect to issues of constitutional [...]

Print Friendly

Jan

5

Friends of Scott Walker v. GAB Changes the Recall Rules Mid-Stream

Posted by: | January 5, 2012 | 7 Comments

Today, Judge J. Mac Davis ruled that the Government Accountability Board must take “affirmative steps to identify and strike duplicate, fictitious or unrecognizable signatures as it reviews the recall petitions expected to be filed against Gov. Scott Walker.”  The ruling comes in the case of Friends of Scott Walker v. GAB, filed in Waukesha County [...]

Print Friendly

Nov

13

The Original Intent of the Recall Power

Posted by: | November 13, 2011 | 1 Comment

Some opponents of the effort to recall Governor Scott Walker have claimed that the recall provisions of the Wisconsin State Constitution are intended solely to permit the recall of elected officials when they have engaged in criminal or grossly unethical conduct. The latest example of this claim can be seen in the column by Jonathan [...]

Print Friendly

Nov

1

Marquette Law School Poll

Posted by: | November 1, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Marquette University Law School will undertake a substantial statewide polling initiative during 2012. This will be the most comprehensive polling enterprise in Wisconsin’s history, following public opinion through a number of polls over the year. The goal of the Marquette Law School Poll is to provide a balanced and detailed understanding of how voters on [...]

Print Friendly

keep looking »