Court orders prosecutors to stop investigating Walker

[darnkatz]

2curlydogs, tacosforlife
Is your head exploding along with mine? 

BREAKING: Court Orders Prosecutors To Stop Investigating Scott Walker’s Alleged Illegal Coordination
In a major victory for Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court ruled early Thursday morning along partisan lines to halt the investigation into whether the newest Republican presidential candidate illegally coordinated with right-wing advocacy groups during his 2012 recall campaign.

Saying they want to “prevent the chilling of otherwise protected speech,” the Court’s four conservative justices ordered that the probe be terminated, and that those working on the case “permanently destroy all copies of information and other materials obtained through the investigation.” They also emphasize that anyone connected with the alleged crime is not longer obligated to cooperate with investigators.

Though the first John Doe probe into Walker’s campaign resulted in the criminal conviction of several of his staffers, the justices wrote of the new effort: “The special prosecutor’s legal theory is unsupported in either reason or law.” They also scolded prosecutors for investigating “citizens who were wholly innocent of any wrongdoing,” and boasted that the ruling will help protect every other Wisconsinite in the future from “tyrannical retribution” and “capricious government prosecution.”
This language echoes how Walker himself has characterized the case — as a “political witch hunt” engineered by Democrats to take him down, despite the fact that multiple district attorneys participating in the case are Republicans.

Now, watchdog groups in Wisconsin are crying foul, pointing to the serious conflicts of interests on the court. Primarily, the very outside political groups accused of coordinating with Walker’s campaign — including Club for Growth, Citizens for a Strong America and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce — spent millions to help the conservative justices win their seats on the court.

The new chief justice of the Court, Patience Roggensack, has openly said she thinks justices on her court don’t need to recuse themselves from a case even if there is a real or perceived conflict of interest — including a campaign donation from one of the lawyers or parties before the court.

In documents submitted to the Court, the top official in charge of Wisconsin elections expressed anxiety that a ruling to stop the investigation could lead to an erosion of the state’s campaign finance laws.

Kevin Kennedy with the Government Accountability Board said such a decision “would result in candidate’s direct control over millions of dollars of undisclosed corporate and individual contributions without limitation on the amounts accepted. A candidate could operate secret committees and direct them to run overwhelming and negative advertising, while the candidate remains above the fray and the public would not know the true source of the contributions and expenditures.”
The two Justices that dissented in the ruling shared similar concerns, saying the ruling will replace the state’s campaign finance rules with “anything goes,” which “will profoundly affect the integrity of our electoral process.”

Had the Justices ruled for the investigation to continue, it also could have derailed Walker’s bid for the White House. Now, he can wear the ruling as a badge of honor — yet another political battle from which he emerged victorious.

[ESF]

Now, watchdog groups in Wisconsin are crying foul, pointing to the serious conflicts of interests on the court. Primarily, the very outside political groups accused of coordinating with Walker’s campaign — including Club for Growth, Citizens for a Strong America and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce — spent millions to help the conservative justices win their seats on the court.


So basically, they want the investigation to stop so they don't get caught too.

This is disgusting.

[katfco]

So can we just rename Wisconsin Tammany Hall and be done with it?

[LadySusan]

Is Wisconsin's Supreme court elected and not appointed?

[ttt]

This is so blatantly and unapologetically corrupt that I can't believe people aren't rioting in the streets.

[josieposy]

Well now I believe this man actually could be President.

[2curlydogs]

Jul 16, 2015 10:24:49 GMT -5 LadySusan said:

Is Wisconsin's Supreme court elected and not appointed?

Yes.


"The new chief justice of the Court, Patience Roggensack, has openly said she thinks justices on her court don’t need to recuse themselves from a case even if there is a real or perceived conflict of interest — including a campaign donation from one of the lawyers or parties before the court.
"

Fucker.

[ESF]

Jul 16, 2015 10:36:08 GMT -5 pt716 said:

Is it typical to order the destruction of all information and documents obtained through an investigation? That seems really sketchy to me.

If they were obtained through illegal means, it's not atypical, but that doesn't really seem to be the case here, so it's super sketch.


Can you imagine the shit that is going to come out about Walker as this race unfolds?  The undoing of Sarah Palin's time as governor was really her VP race because it just put this new spotlight on what was going on there, and brought all these outside journalists in to start digging.  Walker has been in there longer, and seems to have made more enemies and done more damage than she ever did.  

If Jeb Bush doesn't have an army of investigators sniffing around Madison right now, he's too stupid to get the nomination.

[jeaniebueller]

Can they.....do that? Isn't that a separation of powers issue?

[2curlydogs]

Jul 16, 2015 10:49:25 GMT -5 ESF said:

Jul 16, 2015 10:36:08 GMT -5 pt716 said:

Is it typical to order the destruction of all information and documents obtained through an investigation? That seems really sketchy to me.

If they were obtained through illegal means, it's not atypical, but that doesn't really seem to be the case here, so it's super sketch.


Can you imagine the shit that is going to come out about Walker as this race unfolds?  The undoing of Sarah Palin's time as governor was really her VP race because it just put this new spotlight on what was going on there, and brought all these outside journalists in to start digging.  Walker has been in there longer, and seems to have made more enemies and done more damage than she ever did.  

If Jeb Bush doesn't have an army of investigators sniffing around Madison right now, he's too stupid to get the nomination.

You know, this has always, always been my hope with him declaring for the presidency.

Let's get the newest crop of investigative journalists in this state. Let Jeb Bush hire the new Karl Rove and get to work. Because lord knows there is plenty there for them to find.

[secretlyevil]

Can this decision be appealed?

[silva]

Jul 16, 2015 10:38:06 GMT -5 ttt said:

This is so blatantly and unapologetically corrupt that I can't believe people aren't rioting in the streets.

We did all that during Act 10. It seems the "liberals are crybabies" tactic worked.  Or we're just tired of fighting and getting no where. so defeated.

[tacosforlife]

Jul 16, 2015 11:24:09 GMT -5 silva said:

Jul 16, 2015 10:38:06 GMT -5 ttt said:

This is so blatantly and unapologetically corrupt that I can't believe people aren't rioting in the streets.

We did all that during Act 10. It seems the "liberals are crybabies" tactic worked.  Or we're just tired of fighting and getting no where. so defeated.

Don't forget unseemly tactics of 60s era hippies!

[biscoffcookies]

Um, I wasn't aware that the judiciary could dictate to the executive (i.e. prosecutors) what investigations to pursue. I must have missed that day of law school.

[StrawberryBlondie]

People: you're forgetting to refer to Jeb Bush as Jeb!

[tacosforlife]

Jul 16, 2015 13:27:12 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

People: you're forgetting to refer to Jeb Bush as Jeb!

THANK YOU!

I am stuck in a training session all week and have thus been unable to monitor as closely as I'd like.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jul 16, 2015 13:27:48 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Jul 16, 2015 13:27:12 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

People: you're forgetting to refer to Jeb Bush as Jeb!

THANK YOU!

I am stuck in a training session all week and have thus been unable to monitor as closely as I'd like.

I've given 4 CLEs this week so I'm quarter-assing today to recuperate. I've got your back today.

[mcsangel2]

Jul 16, 2015 13:27:48 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Jul 16, 2015 13:27:12 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

People: you're forgetting to refer to Jeb Bush as Jeb!

THANK YOU!

I am stuck in a training session all week and have thus been unable to monitor as closely as I'd like.

I wonder if we can set up the boards to autocorrect Jeb to Jeb!

[tacosforlife]

Jul 16, 2015 13:37:41 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

Jul 16, 2015 13:27:48 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

THANK YOU!

I am stuck in a training session all week and have thus been unable to monitor as closely as I'd like.

I wonder if we can set up the boards to autocorrect Jeb to Jeb!

Can we get @patrick on that?

Also, I get really disappointed every time I read a news story about him and he's not referred to as Jeb!

[ESF]

Jul 16, 2015 14:21:36 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Jul 16, 2015 13:37:41 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

I wonder if we can set up the boards to autocorrect Jeb to Jeb!

Can we get @patrick on that?

Also, I get really disappointed every time I read a news story about him and he's not referred to as Jeb!

I was recently perusing the comment section on the National Review webpage, since I can't help myself.  The commenters there like to refer to him as Jeb! too.  Apparently, the use of the exclamation point when talking about him online is a unity horse amongst liberals and the far right.