At Issue: Choosing a chief justice; Wisconsin, USA

At Issue: Choosing a chief justice

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In a nutshell
Assembly Joint Resolution 49 would give state Supreme Court justices the responsibility of choosing their chief justice, replacing the current practice of the job automatically going to the most senior justice. Currently, Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who has been on the court since 1976, holds the position and has for the last 16 years.

The case for it

Supporters, who include Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, argue that the Supreme Court should be given the authority to pick its leader in a way similar to how each party in the Senate and Assembly choose their leaders.

"I think the accountability of who's running the court should fall on the justices themselves," said Rep. Tyler August, R-Walworth, the bill's main sponsor. He's joined by 17 Republican Assembly cosponsors and seven Republican Senate cosponsors.
August said that Wisconsin is one of just five states that picks its top justice solely by seniority. Twenty-two states, including bordering Illinois, Iowa and Michigan, give that authority to the justices, he said.

The case against it

Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state's largest teacher's union, has signed up in opposition to the bill, although representatives from the organization did not immediately return calls for comment this week. A spokesman for the Supreme Court said the body has not taken a position on the bill.
The Supreme Court has drawn scrutiny in the last year after flare-ups between justices became public, including a physical altercation between two judges.
August said the recent acrimony shouldn't be a reason not to change how the top justice is chosen. "We in the Legislature have been electing our own leaders since the beginning of our Constitution, and we've survived just fine," he said.

To get involved

To contact your lawmaker to oppose or support the bill, use the legislative hotline, which is staffed from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. weekdays; call 800-362-9472 or 608-266-9960. To send an email, visit legis.state.wi.us, select "Senate" or "Assembly" and follow the link.


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