My press release opposing the bill to change the way the Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is selected: January 15, 2015 Wachs Opposes Chief Justice Selection Proposal AJR1 passes Judice Committee along party lines; proposed amendment by Dems fails MADISON- On Thursday, January 15, the Assembly Committee on Judiciary passed Assembly Joint Resolution 1 (AJR1) by a vote of 5-3. This proposal is the second consideration of a constitutional amendment that would change the selection process for Supreme Court Chief Justice from the current system of seniority to a vote by members of the Court. If the proposal is adopted by the Legislature, it will have to be approved by a statewide referendum in the April election. “This proposal is an invasion of the sovereignty of our Supreme Court,” said Rep. Dana Wachs (D-Eau Claire), ranking Democratic member of the Assembly Committee on Judiciary. “The supporters of this bill are clearly politically motivated and want to remove the current Chief Justice. The current system of selecting a justice has been in place for many years, and it is not the job of the Legislature to intervene. There is a separation of powers between the three branches of our government for a reason, and this proposal is an unprecedented attempt to disrupt the balance of power in Wisconsin.” Reps. Wachs, Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie) and Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) offered an amendment that would change the effective date to coincide with the end of the current Chief Justice’s term. This amendment was defeated on a party-line vote. “We offered this amendment as a way for the supporters of the bill to demonstrate that their actions are not politically motivated,” added Wachs. “This amendment would also have circumvented procedural and substantive due process problems that this bill gives rise to. As passed, this bill in its application may violate rights afforded by the 5th and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution. I am extremely disappointed in this vote, and I hope that my colleagues from across the aisle will seriously consider the ramifications of this action when the bill is brought before the full Assembly for a vote.”
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:32:11 +0000
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