Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler has decided not to recuse herself from a case today involving one of her campaign contributors. Critics say it represents a conflict of interest similar to ethics issues she has faced since her 2006 election.
Wisconsin Department of Revenue v. Menasha Corporation involves a company part of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's largest business lobbyist group.
WMC contributed $2 million toward Ziegler's campaign in April of this year, according to Scot Ross, director of One Wisconsin Now, the liberal ethics group that has raised concerns about Ziegler over the last year.
This is not the first time Ziegler's impartiality has been questioned.
She previously ruled on a case that involved a bank for which her husband sits on the board of directors. The issue was brought up during her April 2006 election and a judicial ethics panel is currently reviewing the case.
Mike McCabe, the director of the ethics group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said Ziegler's continued participation in the case ends up undermining public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of our courts.""
""She can say it doesn't affect her judgment, but that goes against human nature,"" said Jay Heck, director of the government reform group Common Cause Wisconsin. ""Money affects people's judgment.""
James Haney, president of WMC, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday that he does not see Ziegler's involvement in the case as a problem. He said WMC supported Ziegler during her campaign because she follows the law, and he expects her to rule fairly.
As of press time, the lawyers representing the Menasha Corporation were unavailable for comment.
Heck said the larger problem behind the ethics issue is how judges are elected in Wisconsin. He said fewer ethics problems would arise if public funds were used for Supreme Court races instead of private donations.
McCabe agrees and said Ziegler's election in particular ""shattered the mold"" for future Supreme Court campaigns in terms of money spent. He said any justice who used as much private funding as was spent in Ziegler's race would have ""a cloud hanging over them for the entirety of their term.""
