We weren’t surprised but we were very disappointed that Gov. Scott Walker appointed Appellate Court Judge Rebecca Bradley to the state Supreme Court to fill the late Justice Patrick Crooks’ seat. Bradley is one of three declared candidates for the high court in this spring’s election and showed a real lack of ethics when she put her name forward for the appointment; the other candidates refused to do so. Both Walker and Bradley showed poor judgment—but a great deal of ambition—in agreeing to the scheme. So Bradley, like the other members of the conservative majority, joins the Supreme Court with an ethical cloud over her head. We’re almost certain that she will feel so indebted to her benefactor that she will always rule in Walker’s favor.
This isn’t the first time that Walker has appointed the opportunist Bradley to the bench. In fact, Walker appointed her to the circuit court in 2012 and the appeals court just five months ago and now the Supreme Court. Why is Walker such a strong Bradley supporter? Well, she was president of the ultra-right-wing Milwaukee chapter of the Federalist Society and a member of other conservative legal societies. But Bradley’s uber-conservative worldview is potentially a very tough sell to the public, according to moderate Republicans who have spoken to us off the record. They believed that without getting an appointment from Walker, Bradley would probably not be able to get elected on her record and ability. Walker and Bradley must have agreed with that assessment and also feared that she couldn’t win an election unless she was already appointed to the position and could use that in her favor during the campaign. That said, being so closely aligned with Walker isn’t a sure-fire way to boost one’s chances at the polls. Walker’s approval rating is currently at just 37% and his disapproval rating is a whopping 59%, according to the latest Marquette Law School poll, and Wisconsinites’ dislike for the governor could rub off on his protégé.
Walker and Bradley should never have cooked up this dubious scheme and Bradley should have been disqualified for the appointment simply by seeking it while already a candidate for that office. Not only will Bradley inevitably rule in Walker’s favor anytime a case involving a politically charged issue comes before the court, but it’s adding to the growing corruption in the state and the total disregard for ethics by members of the conservative majority of the state Supreme Court. We hope that Wisconsinites wake up during the spring elections and vote for a Supreme Court justice who is truly interested in delivering fair and impartial justice. And that isn’t Rebecca Bradley.
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