Wisconsin governor goes bonkers

Jason_Townsend · 2011-06-25T16:08:56.000Z

Unreal.

Dan_Lawrence · 2011-06-26T00:25:17.000Z

If you can’t beat them on the facts then I guess you have to rely on good old fashioned brute force. Sounds like he has a history of abusive behaviour in the workplace as well.

Mark_Asher · 2011-06-26T00:40:31.000Z

Yeah, you can’t have physical attacks in the workplace. People normally get fired for that.

Raife · 2011-06-26T02:34:02.000Z

Justice Bradley confirmed it earlier tonight.

“The facts are that I was demanding that he get out of my office and he put his hands around my neck in anger in a chokehold,” she said. "Those are the facts and you can try to spin those facts and try to make it sound like I ran up to him and threw my neck into his hands, but that’s only spin.

“Matters of abusive behavior in the workplace aren’t resolved by competing press releases,” she said.

jerri_blank · 2011-06-26T04:37:00.000Z

Popular election of judges is such a stupid idea.

John_Reynolds · 2011-06-26T06:24:08.000Z

It’s a liberal conspiracy, they’re just bitter after Prosser won his re-election.

HighPlainsDrifter · 2011-06-26T06:39:46.000Z

So when a Supreme Court justice does something like this what are the discipline options? Can he be removed from office? Could he face criminal assault/battery charges?

Dan_Theman · 2011-06-26T07:55:46.000Z

Yes and yes. It would likely take impeachment or recall to remove him from office, but it’s certainly doable. Here’s a summary of options, albeit from a rather slanted source.

Brettmcd · 2011-06-26T08:50:57.000Z

She should press charges against him, if she wont for whatever reason it gives me pause on fully believing all of this. It would be an assault with witnesses of it happening and would give people more concrete reasons to either impeach or recall.

But again if this did happen he needs to go however that can happen.

madkevin · 2011-06-26T08:56:32.000Z

Brettmcd:

She should press charges against him, if she wont for whatever reason it gives me pause on fully believing all of this.

You can do better than that. Perhaps you can tell us how a Democrat tried to choke somebody once?

Ben_Sones · 2011-06-26T08:57:56.000Z

Yeah, I’m somewhat reserving judgment until more details are revealed, though the fact that she was willing to go on record saying that he did it seems significant. Her “dueling press releases” comment gives me the impression that she’s more concerned about seeking legal recourse than she is with making public statements about what happened. Either way, I guess we’ll find out eventually.

Jason_Townsend · 2011-06-26T09:03:08.000Z

Brettmcd:

It would be an assault with witnesses of it happening and would give people more concrete reasons to either impeach or recall.

It’s evidently even more serious than ordinary assault because of some statute regarding violence against the person of judges, although I dunno if that’s understood to apply to… judge-on-judge crime.

There were reports Saturday that it had been in the context of a scuffle and Justice Bradley “charging at” Prosser, which, although I can’t find the link, I think Bradley has called “spin.”

Omniscia · 2011-06-26T09:05:06.000Z

Look a few posts up at Raife’s quote.

Also, wouldn’t it technically be battery, not assault?

Wisconsin statutes:

940.203 Battery or threat to judge.
(1) In this section:
(a) “Family member” means a parent, spouse, sibling, child,
stepchild, or foster child.
(b) “Judge” means a supreme court justice, court of appeals
judge, circuit court judge, municipal judge, temporary or permanent reserve, judge or circuit, supplemental, or municipal court
commissioner.
(2) Whoever intentionally causes bodily harm or threatens to
cause bodily harm to the person or family member of any judge
under all of the following circumstances is guilty of a Class H felony:
(a) At the time of the act or threat, the actor knows or should
have known that the victim is a judge or a member of his or her
family.
(b) The judge is acting in an official capacity at the time of the
act or threat or the act or threat is in response to any action taken
in an official capacity.
© There is no consent by the person harmed or threatened.

Also:

Wisconsin statutes:

940.235 Strangulation and suffocation.
(1) Whoever intentionally impedes the normal breathing or circulation of blood
by applying pressure on the throat or neck or by blocking the nose
or mouth of another person is guilty of a Class H felony.

HumanTon · 2011-06-26T10:06:10.000Z

madkevin:

You can do better than that. Perhaps you can tell us how a Democrat tried to choke somebody once?

Everyone knows that the preferred weapon of the Democrat is the cane.

Mark_Asher · 2011-06-26T10:37:02.000Z

If he really did put her in a chokehold he should resign. Short of a self-defense counterclaim, I can’t think of any justification for him not to resign.

XPav · 2011-06-26T10:39:58.000Z

She started it?

Alstein · 2011-06-26T10:41:31.000Z

I want charges to be pressed before believing.

Mark_Asher · 2011-06-26T10:48:37.000Z

XPav:

She started it?

I don’t doubt there was a heated argument. That doesn’t justify physical violence.

She also said this:

“I’m confident the appropriate authorities will conduct a thorough investigation of this incident involving abusive behavior in the workplace.”

Sounds like she has filed a complaint.

Brettmcd · 2011-06-26T11:06:40.000Z

Mark Asher:

I don’t doubt there was a heated argument. That doesn’t justify physical violence.

She also said this:

Sounds like she has filed a complaint.

That sounds a lot more like a governmental investigation then it does pressing charges and having him arrested. I don’t know why she wouldn’t press legal charges if it happened exactly the way she stated.

Omniscia · 2011-06-26T11:24:07.000Z

Who do you think presses charges, anyway?