Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Bradley and Crooks; Former Lt. Governor Farrow to Speak on Reform - October 26th in Pewaukee

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Press Release

October 19, 2009

CONTACT:

Jay Heck – 608/256-2686

JUSTICES BRADLEY AND CROOKS, AND FORMER LT. GOVERNOR FARROW
TO SPEAK ABOUT REFORMING SUPREME COURT ELECTIONS
ON OCTOBER 26TH

PUBLIC FORUM AT WAUKESHA COUNTY TECHNICAL COLLEGE IS
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The Fall legislative floor session -- which runs from October 20th through November 5th -- begins this week. This session will be the last opportunity this year for the Wisconsin Assembly and State Senate to vote on two major campaign finance reform measures, which are waiting to be scheduled and ought to be passed and signed into law within a month.

Pending is the so-called "Impartial Justice" legislation: Assembly Bill 65 and Senate Bill 40 -- identical measures that would provide full public financing for qualifying candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court who voluntarily agree to abide by a spending limit of $400,000. These measures have already cleared the Assembly and State Senate Committees with jurisdiction over campaign finance reform.

The other measure pending is Senate Bill 43, a bipartisan proposal requiring disclosure of the donors and regulation of the money utilized by outside special interest groups that run widely-disseminated campaign communications masquerading as issue advocacy during the period of 60 days or less prior to an election. This electioneering disclosure and regulation legislation mirrors new rules approved by the state Government Accountability Board in November 2008. An identical Assembly version of the legislation is Assembly Bill 63. Common Cause in Wisconsin (CC/WI), the first state reform organization to recognize the critical importance of this reform, proposed a version of this measure back in 1997 -- and has been leading the effort to get it enacted into law ever since.

While citizens across the state wait for the Legislature to act on these reforms, Common Cause in Wisconsin is sponsoring a "reform forum" to help educate the public on reforming State Supreme Court elections next Monday evening. This event is free and open to the public.

Here are the details:

“How Do We Clean Up Our Disgraceful
Supreme Court Elections?"

Monday, October 26, 2009
6:30–8:00PM

Richard T. Anderson Education Center
Waukesha County Technical College
800 Main Street - Pewaukee, WI
(EXIT 293 off Interstate 94, toward PEWAUKEE/WAUKESHA CO TECH COLLEGE)

** Free and Open to the Public -- Light Refreshments will be Served **

Please come join in the discussion and learn more about:

• State Supreme Court election reform — and why it is needed
  
• How public financing of State Supreme Court elections ensures impartial justice
• Why the disclosure and regulation of interest-group “phony issue ads” and other “outside” spending is vital
  
• Elections vs. Merit Selection of State Supreme Court Justices

Panelists:

State Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley
State Supreme Court Justice N. Patrick Crooks
Former Lieutenant Governor Margaret Farrow
Executive Director Jay Heck of Common Cause in Wisconsin

Moderator: Vivien De Back – RN PhD FAAN, CC/WI Governing Board Member

Presented by: Common Cause in Wisconsin
(Underwritten by The Joyce Foundation)

Co-Sponsors: League of Women Voters Wisconsin Education Fund, Wisconsin Nurses Association, The Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans

For more information: call Sandra Miller at (608) 658-2109