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Cartoon by Mike Konopacki for the Capital Times, Madison, WI
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser allegedly grabbed fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley around the neck in an argument in her chambers last week, according to at least three knowledgeable sources.
Details of the incident, investigated jointly by Wisconsin Public Radio and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, remain sketchy. The sources spoke on the condition that they not be named, citing a need to preserve professional relationships.
They say an argument that occurred before the court’s release of a decision upholding a bill to curtail the collective bargaining rights of public employees culminated in a physical altercation in the presence of other justices. Bradley purportedly asked Prosser to leave her office, whereupon Prosser grabbed Bradley by the neck with both hands.
Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs was notified, and the fact that both Prosser and Bradley refuse to speak in public about it indicates that there is legal action afoot.
Per Think Progress, there are four ways Prosser can be removed from the bench, but since three of them would require either Prosser or his Republican colleagues in the state legislature to be fundamentally decent persons, the most likely avenue would be via a recall — and since recently-elected officials are allowed a one-year grace period (which is why Wisconsin must wait until late January before recalling Scott Walker), Prosser would be guaranteed to sit in judgement of persons far less nasty than him for nearly another year.
38 Comments
Why hasn’t Prosser been arrested for assault? This is outrageous! BTW Kargo X has a hilarious twitter feed on this incident. Hi-larious.
This is incredibly telling, From Wisconsin Watch:
http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2011/06/25/prosser-allegedly-grabbed-fellow-justice-by-the-neck/
The women justices “goaded” him into it? How many domestic abusers have you heard blame their victims over the years? This guy should be arrested, disbarred and disciplined off the bench. What a thug.
He reminds me in a lot of ways of John Bolton. He can push a broom now.
Oh, exactly. He’s nothing but a total, tribalistic, ideologically-driven misogynist thug.
He’s not even remotely qualified to sit on the bench. One of the most telling incidents of his recent re-election campaign was when he accused his Democratic opponent, state AAG JoAnne Kloppenburg, of not being qualified to replace him because she — who has a long and stellar legal career — wasn’t a judge. Well, guess what — neither was he before he first was elected to the WI SC.
PW, great catch.
Through his very public actions, Prosser has shown himself to be a person of poor character and judgement. He is not fit to hold a government position at any level. Whistle blowers have been stilling in solitary confinement and this guy thinks he’s entitled to sit as a judge on a state supreme court? NOT!
Absolutely, and his behavior toward women is escalating into physical violence.
As his paranoia grows regarding how he perceives other view his re-election, I believe he will grow more violent. If someone makes a remark, or he believes someone has made a remark, or he misinterprets a remark, he could go postal. TSA needs to pat him down every day.
American women are still struggling for the most basic human respect and their equal rights no differently than the women of Saudi Arabia (hat tip egregious, June 25, 2011).
If true, his colleague on the court is doing the judiciary no favors by remaining silent. She should have filed a charge of assault.
I’m here in Wisconsin (Grand Old Badger State!) and this is the first I’ve heard of this incident. Why the news blackout? (Or need I ask?)
Here’s something from WI.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_0eccd0ea-9f33-11e0-b4f1-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1QIWCxZsg
Outrageous.
His colleagues should refuse to sit with him on the bench, lawyers should refuse to appear before him, plaintiffs and appellants should refuse to enter a courtroom where he sits. Let the wheels of justice grind to a halt until this perverse Badger is removed from the Court.
The people protecting him are only slightly better than he is.
This “preserving professional relationships” sums up what’s wrong with the country. Nothing seems to matter anymore except comity and money.
And he is an abuser, unfit to sit in judgement of anything or anyone. He has a deep and corrosive conflict of interest.
Just a symptom of the Machiavellian authoritarianism that seems to be a driving force within the Wisconsin conservative movement.
First Walker. Then the state legislative majority. And now Justice Prosser. And not the first time that he has been accused of uncivil behavior toward a female colleague.
Prosser and Walker are brownshirt fascists. That’s kind politics is called “fascism.” It’s been called fascism for 80 years.
Quit bending over backwards to avoid using the word “Fascist” on an American elected official.
Walker’s Wisconsin Fascists are the first out of the closet Fascist to be put in public office since Pinochet in Chile.
Get used to using the term.
What I was thinkin’ Adam. And while I’m writing at you, how about another post on the two N-plants. I’ve heard news about more weather and flooding, but nothing further on what’s really important. More please?
Seconded.
I think “wingnuts” works better than “fascists.”
I think you’re dead wrong. I don’t think you could have possibly looked up either word.
What part of Gov. Walker’s specifically picking a fight with labor unions as first order of business do you not understand. Anti-union extremist behavior (violating WI state law to force through anti-labor legislature is extremism in anyone’s book) is textbook fascism.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wing+nut
“Wingnut” is generic crazy extremist term. Nothing specific about the term at all.
You’re running away from the truth, Boo.
Brother’s visiting from New Zealand this week. Sorry.
Raising the flag at IwoJima by true Americans fighting fascists,
When the men arrived at the top, Lieutenant Schrier decided that the new flag should be raised as the original one was lowered. Sergeant Strank, Corporal Block, Private First Class Hayes and Private First Class Sousley fastened the larger colors to a second pipe and then tried to set the makeshift staff in the rugged ground. Since the four men appeared to be having difficulty in getting the pipe firmly planted, two onlookers, Private First Class Gagnon and Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class John H. Bradley came to their aid.
Notice the last name, the father of the choked Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice BRADLEY.
He’s a violent fascist installed by violent fascists and they’re not done yet.
Wingnut sounds too goofy, silly and mild. Fascist sounds dangerous, out of control and to be taken seriously.
Ding! This is THE issue here. There is no doubt that in any place in the US of A, what Prosser is reported to have done to Bradley is called assault and battery. Period. It is also considered ‘workplace violence’, which is a serious issue in the US (unfortunately, the stats on ‘workplace violence’ at the federal level are only kept on fatalities, not assaults, getting beaten up, rapes, and so on). My husband in his work deals with this shit all the damn time and it makes no difference where you work – factory, university, government — this is a problem and it is especially difficult for women to report it. They are afraid of losing their jobs; they are afraid of physical and other forms of retaliation. This is very much like domestic violence in that the victim is many times in a subordinate, weaker, or from sheer size differential, unable/unwilling to take legal action. There supposedly were witnesses to this incident – why no one called security and the appropriate law enforcement, reported it,and had Prosser charged is beyond me.
This morning’s print edition of Journal Sentinel ran first page story alleging that Prosser’s attack is disputed and that a source claims that Ann Bradley Walsh came at him with fists raised. At http://www.jsonline.com, a much shorter story ran, stating that Prosser disputes the charges. Odd that the Journal Sentinel had nothing to say about the incident unttil today. Unless you consider that the J-S is a reliable pipe in the right wing Wurlitzer.
Had to sign up just to post this:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/124551874.html
“Bradley says Prosser choked her”
“Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley issued a statement late Saturday saying that fellow Justice David Prosser choked her and disputing claims that she attacked him first.
“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.
“I’m confident the appropriate authorities will conduct a thorough investigation of this incident involving abusive behavior in the workplace.”
@jtbs
My choice would be, depending on the situation, “unbalanced” or “tools.” We need to use language that immediately makes sense to the “low information voter.”
I agree. He should be arrested for assault. In fact he should have been arrested for assault within 10 minutes after the incident. As you know, I am one to hesitate in saying that the leadership of one party is worse than the other as I regard both of them as being quite horrid and almost equal in every horrible way in regard to their abuse of the American people. The only difference is that the Democrats say “excuse me” before they hit us over the head with a baseball bat.
However when it comes to women, the Republican Party is in a class by itself for horrible. To me the Jamie Leigh Jones case is a perfect example. Ms. Jones is a young woman who had been gang raped by a bunch of Halliburton employees in Iraq [Senator Franken's amendment forbid government contractors from having a clause in their hiring contracts that requires employees to agree to settle any disputes in an arbitration court a requirement for hire.]
No less than 30 Republican Senators voted to uphold the rights of corporations over those of victims like Ms. Jones. To their credit ALL Democratic Senators voted for the amendment; five Republican male Senators ; and all the female Republican Senators.
BUT 30 Republican SENATORS VOTING AGAINST THIS BILL. If I”m not mistaken, I think that Ms. Jones even told her story to them. These are all men with wives and daughters.
But what I found even more shocking was that most of these men who were up for re-election in 2010 were re-elected.
Well alrighty then. How about “jackass” or “bastard” or “criminally insane”?
Seriously, though, I have to say that I do agree with Adam 503.
In the strictest sense of the word an excellent case can be made for applying the term “fascist” to the behavior of the Wisconsin Republicans as that is just how they are acting. They haven’t burned any books yet, but the campaign season has just begun.
There is a strong element of nationalism, blind allegiance to authority and tradition that also is forefront to both groups. For example, Gov. Scott Walker removed a painting in the Governor’s mansion depicting three children of different races, replacing it with a painting of a bald eagle. [In other words: country/Nationalism before people.] But Walker is not the only Republican Governor to do this. As you will recall, earlier this year Gov Paul LePage of Maine had a mural of workers removed.
These sorts of acts are exactly what the brown shirts did in the early 1930′s. It began with a program they called “Action against the Un-German Spirit”. Part of this program was to remove or destroy any symbol of anything that they disagreed with–whether it was painting a book a statue whatever–later of course it became people they destroyed. The tradition of nationalism, militarism, worship of success, and force, as well as the exaltation of state was key to the rise of Nazi Germany.
WTF!!!!
Did the IQ’s of Americans take a step dive into the commode?
This is now a theocratic, fascist state.
Let me say that in a way that perhaps will make more of an impression:
We are fucked; completely fucked; unalterably fucked.
Now that I have your attention let’s bring back an old acquaintance for just a minute.
Everyone loves to repeat ad nauseam the prophetic warning of Martin Niemoller, but do Americans realize that what Niemoller said about the Hiterlian Germans is happening right now, this very instant in the United States.
Ok, again, for the synaptically impaired: The United States is now, and not sometimes in the distant future, a fully functioning fascist state.
And you thought we paid for an army to fight the guys over there. Think again: our second revolution is going to make the guys in the Middle East look like babes in the woods.
The Republican fascists are armed to the teeth, and what of the progressives: Why, they will bring a thesaurus to the fight so as to properly label their enemies.
And if you really want to laugh your ass off, try this one on for size: the American people think they are free and a beacon of hope to the rest of the world. Free? No! Delusional? Yes!
Addendum
And while we want to be careful, of course, to not overstate the case in our allusions to the Nazis, it might be equally unwise to not take note of indications that history may well be on its way to repeating itself.
More than a few people are pointing out today the similarities of the times today and the times in 1933 in Germany.
From 1930-1932, Chancellor of Germany Heinrich Brüning tried to reform the devastated German economy without a majority in Parliament, governing with the help of the President’s emergency decrees. In line with conservative economic theory that less government spending would spur economic growth, Brüning drastically cut state expenditures, including in the social sector. He expected and accepted that the economic crisis would, for a while, deteriorate before things would improve. Among others, the Reich completely halted all public grants to the obligatory unemployment insurance (which had been introduced only in 1927), which resulted in higher contributions by the workers and fewer benefits for the unemployed.
The bulk of German capitalists and land-owners originally supported the conservative experiment: not from any personal liking for Brüning, but believing the conservatives would best serve their interests. But as the mass of the working class and middle classes turned against Brüning, more of the great capitalists and landowners declared themselves in favour of his opponents — Hitler and Hugenberg
Very Cool tidbit, Thx for that.
There ya go, that about says it. Good on ya Doremus35.
For way to long now I have been baffled by the lack of real anger. And a lot of the anger that does exist is not focused correctly.
“Did the IQ’s of Americans take a steep dive into the commode?”
Yes.
It is waaaaaaaay past time to accept the situation for what it is, and find peace in knowing that we are being left no choices. None.
We didn’t make this decision, it is time to RISE UP and take to the streets.
THIS WILL NOT BE REMEDIED WITH ELECTRONIC BALLOT BOXES.
To start, OCTOBER2011.org
We, and by we I mean non-billionaire American citizens, are subjects of a Fascist Police State. No new combination of Democrats and Republicans in Washington will change that.
The federal government is owned by a Fascist Oligarchy and operated exclusively in their interest. Presently they are engaged in stealing our savings, our pensions, and our homes. No new combination of Democrats and Republicans in Washington will change that.
Washington is the seat of a global financial and military Empire that aims to rule the world by force of arms. Our president is Napoleon. He orders his legions against sovereign nations without advise or consent of congress. No new combination of Democrats and Republicans in Washington will change that.
35 and Mr. Dumas are correct.
Justice Bradley should have immediately filed a criminal complaint and Prosser should have been immediately incarcerated, booked and finger-printed and then released on bond if that was possible.
An immediate temporary restraining order should have been issued against Prosser barring him from entry to the court facilities or any other venue where Justice Bradley might be normally found. The TRO is usually in effect until a court hears and rules on the case regarding the original criminal complaint.
More on WI and Prosser as of today.
http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/
Oh yeah, Prosser. Obviously a hateful ass hole. Elected by at least almost a majority of cheese head voters who, to be charitable, should have known better.
Please take a listen to the June 24 (current installment) at This American Life from WBEZ. There is a program feature about the WI recalls. Do us Wisconsinites a favor and try to get a bit more understanding about who we are and who we were in politics, before you start (imho) coming awfully close to using the term “cheese head voters,” in some seeming derogatory fashion. Thank you. This is not an easy time for any of us, here.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
Adam503,
Do you wanna win debating points at FDL or do you want affect the political direction of the country?
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascist
When most Americans and most INDEPENDENT voters in Wisconsin think of fascists, they think of HITLER/Mussolini/Franco and anti-semitism.
Scott Walker and Frank Luntz love it when you call Scott a fascist.
Ring some middle class doorbells here in Wisconsin and tell the non-union, independent voters, who control Wisconsin’s upcoming elections that Scott Walker is a “fascist.” They’ll call the cops on you for being a commie and a dfh. They may not like Scott Walker, but they were just inundated with Koch and Bradley Foundation money in the special election which Prosser won. He won it AFTER we already knew he had called the Chief Justice a b…. and threatened to “destroy” her.
Unfortunately for you, this isn’t an IQ test for snobs who underestimate the complexity of the electorate.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/connotation
If you wanna use the “fascist” label in Wisconsin, I suggest you reserve it for the Koch brothers, the Bradley Foundation, and the corporate media they control. Scott Wanker is a disposable puppet. “Fascist” gives him way too much credit.
tjbs, great catch. That’s the card we have to play.