Filed under: Wisconsin Supreme Court
In the wake of the Supreme Court election April 1, some folks have argued we should stop electing judges. Here’s a little history from the Wisconsin Bar Association.
Electing judges was considered a reform in 1846. The first draft of the Wisconsin Constitution included a provision that all judges stand for
election. That was an alternative to the appointment systems of the Eastern states.
The first state constitution was rejected by voters due to a series of radical reforms for that era - women’s suffrage, a referendum for
African American Suffrage, a ban on banking, etc. The provision requiring an elected judiciary was included in the second draft of the Constitution in 1848 that was approved by the voters.So, judicial elections were not only envisioned by our founders, but those elections were a high priority.“Several of the reforms that the Barnburners succeeded in pushing through the convention, most notably a provision that the state’s judges
would be chosen by the people rather than the governor or legislature, generated little controversy.”Read the whole story at the link below.
http://www.wisbar.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Wisconsin_s_legal_history
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The Morning Scramble - 4/15/2008
It’s Tax Day and Buy A Gun Day (H/T - Beth). Coincidence? I think not. Since I can’t afford a real fancy gun, I may as well enjoy the blues while I finish off my taxes and try to figure out how much money I have left with which to buy a…
steveegg 04.15.08 @ 10:23 amThat’s really interesting, Mark! A monumental election indeed - and, this is a familiar tactic, right? If you don’t get the outcome you want, try to change the rules!
rightwave 04.15.08 @ 7:34 pmI can’t get the link to work.
james wigderson’s last blog post..Don’t tell anyone, part II
james wigderson 04.21.08 @ 3:24 pm