There is no doubt that Wisconsin Republicans dislike progressive Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. As the longest sitting jurist on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, appointed first in 1976 and winning reelection four times since then, she has been Chief Justice since 1996. Wisconsin state statute makes the Justice with the most seniority the Chief Justice, and Abrahamson has filled that role with intelligence and levelheadedness, even in the face of overt hostility from Justice Prosser and difficult issues before the court in recent months.
Chief Justice Abrahamson's tenure as Chief Justice is going to end, if the Republicans have anything to do with it. Another hastily designed, written, and soon to be passed item circulating in the legislature is a change in the State Constitution article VII, which speaks to the position of the Chief Justice.
Previously, Article VII Section 4(2) read as follows:
The justice having been longest a continuous member of said court, or in case 2 or more such justices shall have served for the same length of time, the justice whose term first expires, shall be the chief justice. The justice so designated as chief justice may, irrevocably, decline to serve as chief justice or resign as chief justice but continue to serve as a justice of the supreme court.In the most recent proposal, however (otherwise known as 2011 Joint Assembly Resolution 49) article VII of the Wisconsin State Constitution will be altered. It will now reads as follows:
Each time a justice is elected or reelected and takes the oath of office, the court shall elect a chief justice as its first order of business. The justice so designated as chief justice may, irrevocably, decline to serve as chief justice or resign as chief justice but continue to serve as a justice of the supreme court.Given the recent reelection of Walker's lap dog Justice Prosser, the Wisconsin Supreme Court now has four hyper-partisan conservatives out of the seven justices total. There can be no doubt that this law will eventually usher in the election of Justice Prosser as Chief Justice. What a tragedy for the law and the State of Wisconsin.