A Milwaukee county judge running for a spot on the state Supreme Court says the public's trust in a fair and impartial court must be returned.
During a recent campaign stop in the Northwoods, Judge Rebecca Dallet was asked why she is running....
"....I'm running because we need to return some independence and balance to our Supreme Court and to get the partisan politics out. We've had partisan politics infiltrate our Supreme Court especially over the past decade. It needs to stop. Our courts need to be independent, non-partisan places and we can get back to that...."
Dallet was first elected as Milwaukee County Judge in 2008 and was re-elected in 2014 for a term that will expire in 2020. Prior to being elected judge, she was a prosecutor for 11 years. Dallet says she's concerned about the big-money interests who have influenced recent Supreme Court elections. Dallet says lack of a recusal rule has also damaged confidence in the court. She says in one case, Justice Michael Gableman refused to recuse himself from a case though one of the parties had spent more than $2 million dollars on his behalf.
Dallet says she's gotten a large number of other judges to back her....
"...I have over 170 judges supporting me right now, including Judge Kinney, Judge Mangerson and Judge Vocke and others from this part of our state...."
Dallet is joined by two other candidates, Sauk County Judge Michael Screnock, and Madison attorney Tim Burns.
The three are running to replace Gableman, who is not seeking a second 10-year term. A Feb. 20 primary will narrow the field to two candidates. The general election is April 3.
