We have been following the intra-court war on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the recent narrow victory of conservative Justice David Prosser in his reelection. The prior controversy involved Prosser calling Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson a “total bitch.” Now, fellow justice Ann Walsh Bradley has accused Prosser of putting her in a chokehold during a dispute. Prosser denies the allegation.
Other reports state that it was Bradley who “charged” Prosser, who raised his hands to defend himself and made contact with her neck.
At the rate they are going, the Wisconsin Supreme Court could be perfect for the next reality show on Fox.
Notably, in the earlier controversy, Prosser included Bradley in his complaint about being harassed and pushed to profanity: “I probably overreacted, but I think it was entirely warranted…They (Abrahamson and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley) are masters at deliberately goading people into perhaps incautious statements. This is bullying and abuse of very, very long standing.”
Bradley told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the incident and described the encounter:”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.”
The confrontation reportedly occurred before the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this month upholding Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s bill eliminating most of public employees’ collective bargaining rights. It was a 4-3 decision overruling Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi.
There is no report of an assault charge by Bradley who says that she came forward after she heard Prosser deny the allegation.
Source: USAToday
Jonathan Turley
Get It Here-
Two additional foolish comments aren’t documentation.
She is evil and should be put to sleep. Not that she didn’t sleep her way to the position she is in, she must like it.
What is the proof you require? She said it.
Get It Here-
“He was bit by the other Judge…”
Documentation, please.
What is your problem with this Justice? He was retraining that rabid pit bull. She should be pleased that he is reasonable or she would not only be behind bars, but disciplined. After all he is the Chief Judge and should not have to put up with this nonsensical woman. He was bit by the other Judge and yes, he did call her a bitch. The name seems to fit.
“Were I Justice Walsh’s spouse, Mark, I would feel duty bound to quickly reach out to Justice Prosser in every sense of that idiom.”
Mespo,
I probably wouldn’t physically touch him, but by the time I was finished with him he would have soiled his pants in fear.
On March 22, 2011, Jonathan Turley, another distinguished law professor blogger like Ann, posted in his blog a reflection on the dysfunction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court – “Wisconsin Supreme Court Erupts Into Name Calling and Finger Pointing”. The thesis of his post was concerned with Prosser’s outburst against the court‘s leader, Shirley Abrahamson, wherein he called her a bitch and threatened to destroy her. But what is most interesting is his inclusion of an email that Justice Patience Roggensack sent to Justice Bradley after Bradley sent out an email about this ‘bitch calling’ incident.
Turley’s post gives an insight into something no one is talking about now that this new Bradley vs Prosser accusation has been launched. Where is the court leader Abrahamson showing leadership or any effort to solve the dysfunction? In any other workplace in America, the leaders would be required to mitigate and minimize workplace conflicts. Just because there is no power to dismiss a sitting judge (an option also available to workplaces outside of a Supreme Court) , can’t a Chief Justice make efforts to protect the workplace for everyone and work with third parties (if needed) to ameliorate tensions and behaviors that are imagined in this story of Bradley going public with an accusation that one of her court colleagues attempted to choke her?
In absence of such leadership in the court, we have the situation we have now where it is clear that Prosser (and perhaps Bradley) need to issue restraining orders against each other in a local court to simply come to work and enjoy a modicum of safety.
Prosser insists that Abrahamson was working against him politically as well as other court conservatives. He said that he “probably overreacted, but I think it was entirely warranted. . . . They (Abrahamson and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley) are masters at deliberately goading people into perhaps incautious statements. This is bullying and abuse of very, very long standing.”
Bradley recounted the confrontation in an email: “In a fit of temper, you were screaming at the chief; calling her a ‘bitch,’ threatening her with ‘. . . I will destroy you’; and describing the means of destruction as a war against her ‘and it won’t be a ground war.’”
Bradley’s email led another justice to criticize her for airing the issue to a wider audience. Justice Patience Roggensack wrote to Bradley, stating
“You were trying to make David look bad in the eyes of others, as a person who uses language that we all find offensive – and I include David in that ‘we,’ . . .Do you think that copying others on your e-mail increased the collegiality of the court or decreased it?
You are a very active participant in the dysfunctional way we carry-on. (As am I.) You often goad other justices by pushing and pushing in conference in a way that is simply rude and completely nonproductive. That is what happened when David lost his cool. He is not a man who attacks others without provocation. Until you realize that you are an active part of the provocation, not much will change. Perhaps a third party will help you realize that you are not part of the solution; you are part of the problem.”
Despite the aphoristic clichés in this email, it is clear that Justice Roggensack was asking Bradley to seek third party help. We should listen to her and support our court.
Now – because Chief Justice Abrahamson is not speaking out in a rather Machiavellian manner (which suggests she is playing major political games by pitting the Justices against each other) – we the public need to heed Justice Roggenstack’s request that a third party counselor or Ombudsman be assigned (from the court’s own budget – by the way – so they might have to fund fewer conferences and extracurriculars).
We need a well functioning Supreme Court and – when the Chief Justice refuses to work for functionality and may even be contributing to purposeful dysfunction – we probably need a new Chief Justice.
Here is the link to Turley’s March 22 post: http://jonathanturley.org/2011/03/22/wisconsin-supreme-court-erupts-into-name-calling-and-finger-pointing/
Look on the bright side. At least the children of Wisconsin can be grateful that Judge Prosser chose the law rather than a career as a playground monitor.
I suppose all Wisconsin judges will have to start carrying guns. What could possibly go wrong? “Deliberations” may turn into “shootout at the OK corral.”
Gary Welsh:
I’d tell that other source that grown men do not choke women even when “attacked” with those imposing raised fists. It’s base, cowardly, and unmanly. I believe Prosser’s clerk (obviously) about as much as I believe in the Easter Bunny. A grown man who can’t control his emotions and chokes women? In Virginia, we call them “jackasses” and give them a number on the back of their blaze orange “robes”; in Wisconsin, apparently they’re just called “Justice.”
What a charmer.
Justice Prosser is the same Justice who yelled at his colleague and called her a “bitch” and threatened her. He has just the correct judicial temperament to join Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court! When is Wisconsin going to wake up? Prosser and Walker are embarrasments and it is time for them to go.
More likely, The Jerry Springer Show with dialogue like this:
You need to get all of the facts. Other reports say Bradley charged Prosser with raised fists and he was merely trying to repel her attack of him. From the JSonline:
Sources told the Journal Sentinel two very different stories Saturday about what occurred. Some confirmed Bradley’s version. According to others, Bradley charged Prosser, who raised his hands to defend himself and made contact with her neck.
[…]
Bradley felt Prosser “was attacking the chief justice,” the source said.
Before leaving, Prosser “put his hands around her neck in what (Bradley) described as a chokehold,” the source said.
“He did not exert any pressure, but his hands were around her neck,” the source said.
The source said the act “was in no way playful.”
But another source told the Journal Sentinel that Bradley attacked Prosser.
“She charged him with fists raised,” the source said.
Prosser “put his hands in a defensive posture,” the source said. “He blocked her.”
In doing so, the source said, he made contact with Bradley’s neck.
Another source said the justices were arguing over the timing of the release of the opinion, which legislative leaders had insisted they needed by June 14 because of their work on the state budget. As the justices discussed the case, Abrahamson said she didn’t know whether the decision would come out this month, the source said.
At that point, Prosser said he’d lost all confidence in her leadership. Bradley then came across the room “with fists up,” the source said. Prosser put up his hands to push her back.
misogyny comes to mind….
Shorter Justice Prosser:
Bitch had it coming!
Gives me such confidence in his legal opinion.
My thoughts exactly. There are times when I am reminded of the old phone company slogan, “Reach out and touch someone.”
Ok, OS. Well baboons are nicer to females and are more progressive thinkers. I do enjoy Prosser’s quip that he was goaded into his intemperate words by Abrahamson and Walsh — both women. Were I Justice Walsh’s spouse, Mark, I would feel duty bound to quickly reach out to Justice Prosser in every sense of that idiom.
Mespo, don’t be so hard on baboons.
After watching the incredible video provided by CEJ on Saturday’s “Gage” thread involving the work of Professor Robert Sapolsky, I can only conclude that Justice Prosser is an alpha baboon.