Differences Between Supreme Court Candidates Clear in Eckstein Hall Debate

Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were among the US Supreme Court justices who were invoked Tuesday night as role models by the candidates in the race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court that will be on the ballot April 5.

But did either of them ever have to go through the kind of election campaigning that Justice Rebecca Bradley and Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg are immersed in now?

A one-hour debate between Kloppenburg and Bradley  at Eckstein Hall was moderated by Mike Gousha, Marquette Law School’s distinguished fellow in law and public policy and a political analyst for WISN television. The debate was shown live on WISN and other stations around the state, with some stations scheduling it for broadcast later.

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MU Team Excels at Corporate Law Moot Court Competition

ruby valeCongratulations to the team representing Marquette University Law School at the Ruby R. Vale Interschool Corporate Law Moot Court Competition in Delaware this past week.  Kyle Thelen, Alex Ackerman and Samuel Casson were awarded “Best Brief” at the competition and advanced to the Quarter Finals, where the judges deliberated for a full 45 minutes before declaring that our Team was edged out “by less than a razor thin margin.”  All in all, it was an outstanding performance.  Thank you to the Team, for all of their hard work, and to all of the faculty and students who helped the Team in its preparations.

Photo: Ruby R. Vale

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County Exec Debate Presents Big Differences in Level-Headed Ways

 

Chris Abele and Chris Larson have big differences and their race for Milwaukee County executive is intensely contested.

But their one-hour debate at Eckstein Hall Thursday evening, broadcast live by WISN (Channel 12), was an even-tempered and unflashy presentation of their positions on many of the specific issues and their general approach to what the county executive should do in the next four years. In other words, it was a good way for voters in large numbers, given the television audience, to get a direct view of what the candidates say, as well as some impression of how the two handle themselves.

This is a time when people nationwide have been getting heavy doses of insults, sharp personal attacks, and posturing in debates between the candidates for president. That makes for more entertaining events, “better’ television,” and more lively material for reporters and commentators to write about. But it also leaves many people (count me in) wondering: Has political dialogue come to this?

So consider this praise of the candidates, of Mike Gousha, Marquette Law School’s distinguished fellow in law and public policy who moderated the debate, and of WISN for making serious discussion between candidates the focus of a debate and for making it available to the general public.

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