April 5: Governor Walker's First Test - The Supreme Court Candidates

On April 5, Wisconsinites will go to the polls to elect a Supreme Court Justice. The two candidates, Judge David Prosser and Joanne Kloppenburg, represent two opposing views on the law and its application.

At the moment, conservative judges have a 4-3 majority, including Justice Prosser. The budget repair bill, the way it was passed and the Governor's proposed budget have lent new fire to the battle.

Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg's website starts telling her biography this way:

"Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg has been a litigator and prosecutor at the Wisconsin Department of Justice since 1989, serving under Attorneys General from both parties: Don Hanaway, Jim Doyle, Peg Lautenschlager and JB Van Hollen."                                                                                          accessed March15 2011

"Justice Prosser was raised in Appleton, and received his bachelor's degree in political science from DePauw University in 1965, and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1968."                                                                                           accessed March 15, 2011

At the moment, Justice Prosser "judicial record" page is under construction. Mrs. Kloppenburg's page contains a half-page with not a lot of substance, talking about impartiality, etc.

The coalition that is attempting to unseat Governor Walker's allies will try to remove Justice Prosser from the bench. His political views are conservative, some say extreme. With the understanding that some of the Governor's initiatives will probably end up in the Supreme Court, moving the court to a more liberal stance will be a high priority for Scott Walker's opponents.

As the days go by  I will be looking for more information on both of these people.