In the wake of controversy surrounding the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson proposed to make all court proceedings open to the public in a memo released Tuesday.
Abrahamson published the memo in response to Justice David Prosser's recent recusal from a case after ethics experts questioned his impartiality as well as the highly publicized altercation between Justice Ann Walsh Bradley and Prosser.
Bradley alleged Prosser put her in a choke-hold when debating the release of their collective bargaining decision. Prosser said Bradley charged at him with a fist raised.
Abrahamson connected the state's greater polarization to recent discord in the Supreme Court.
""The bitter divisions in the legislature, state and federal, have affected public confidence, and we have had our own problems,"" Abrahamson said in the memo.
Abrahamson released two proposals—the first of four—that acknowledge the recent problems within the court. She said no specific group should be blamed for the June incident. Rather, Abrahamson called on the members of the court to start anew this term in their commitment to improving the institution.
Primarily, she suggested there be more transparency within the court by streaming all conferences and opening them to the public online.
""Transparency will help assure the public that we are working in a collegial fashion and doing the job we were elected to do,"" Abrahamson said in the memo.
In addition, she suggested there be recusal reform, which would require justices to remove themselves from cases when their impartiality is doubted.
""We should be above all a place where disputes are resolved openly, civilly, professionally, not where they are created,"" Abrahamson said.
Details of Abrahamson's last two proposals will be released at a future administrative conference.
