|
(Updated April 24, 2019 to include information about 2018 city voter roll issues.) Losing State Supreme Court candidate Lisa Neubauer won more votes in Milwaukee and Milwaukee County this month than Rebecca Dallet won a year ago in her successful campaign for a seat on that same court, voting results show. While Dallet received fewer votes than Neubauer did, she won a greater share – 66 percent – of the ballots cast than did Neubauer, who grabbed 62 percent of the county vote.  Dallet and Michael Screnock ran in spring 2018, and Neubauer and Brian Hagedorn ran in spring 2019. Hagedorn won the statewide race. If that seems counter-intuitive, there's more: The number of participating voters was up this year over last year in both the city and county, but the turnout rates were down, a function of a sharp increase in the number of registered voters and a modest increase in the number of voters who actually cast ballots. (Two voter roll clean-ups, one by the city and one by the state, led to the number of registered voters dropping by 84,000 before the 2018 spring election, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The state purge was plagued with errors that led to people incorrectly being dropped from the rolls, city officials said. A total of 44,000 voters were removed from the rolls through the state process.) In Milwaukee County, the number of registered voters this year was up 86,108, or 19 percent, from spring 2018, while the number of ballots cast was up just 19,111, or 14 percent. The overall turnout rate for the spring general election fell from about 30 percent to 29 percent.  In the city of Milwaukee, the number of registered voters soared 25 percent, from 248,057 to 310,634, an increase of 62,577. The number of votes cast rose 18 percent from last year to this year. There were only 18 city wards where the number of votes cast declined, and 302 wards where voting increased. While that is significant, a smaller share of registered voters cast ballots, and voter turnout fell from 24 percent to 22 percent. 
0 Comments
It is time for Wisconsin to legalize marijuana and recognize that "cannabis prohibition is an outdated and regressive policy," Wisconsin Justice Initiative President Craig Johnson said Thursday. "People used to describe marijuana as a 'gateway drug,' " he said. "And unfortunately it is – because of the unequal way in which marijuana laws are enforced, for black and brown people it’s a gateway into the criminal justice system, it’s a gateway to jail, and it’s a gateway to prison – and that’s wrong." Johnson joined State Rep. Melissa Sargent as the Madison Democrat spoke at a press conference about her new bill to legalize cannabis. Information about the legislation is here. "Far too many lives and communities have been damaged by out-of-date and backwards cannabis policies, and we must take this important and necessary step towards rectifying these damages," she said in prepared remarks. "The simple truth is, the most dangerous thing about marijuana in Wisconsin is that it is illegal." Johnson, also in prepared remarks, said that too many people of color are arrested and prosecuted for possessing small amounts of cannabis for personal use.  State Rep. Melissa Sargent and WJI President Craig Johnson "Cars are searched, homes are searched, and arrests are made – at times for possession of mere grams of marijuana. This is a waste of precious law enforcement and court resources, it ruins lives, and it needs to end," he said. Johnson cited WJI research showing that more than 80 percent of people charged in Milwaukee County with felony possession of marijuana felony second offense or greater are African-American. The county's population is about 27 percent African-American, he said. In November, voters in 16 counties voted in advisory referendums in favor of legalizing medical or recreational cannabis or both. Polls also show a majority of Wisconsinites support legalization. Said Sargent: "By legalizing recreational marijuana in Wisconsin we will open the door to countless family-sustaining jobs, have the means to regulate and tax marijuana to provide abundant economic stimulus for our state, and address the massive and egregious racial disparities in marijuana-related arrest rates."  The number of police chases rose 155% from 2017 to 2018, a consequence of decisions loosening restrictions on when police can engage in car chases, according to a new report by the Fire and Police Commission. The number of chases increased sharply in 2018  All charts and graphs are from the "2018 City of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission Vehicle Pursuit Report" The rules governing chases became more restrictive before they became less restrictive. Before 2010, a chase was authorized if a an officer had reasonable grounds to believe the suspect posed an immediate threat to safety or was involved in a serious offense, or if the necessity of apprehension outweighed the dangers of a pursuit, according to the "2018 City of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission Vehicle Pursuit Report." In 2010, responding to concerns about chase-related deaths, police tightened the policy to require that an officer have probable cause to believe that a violent felony has occurred or was about to occur. Then, in 2015, the policy was revised again, this time in response to an increase in carjackings. The restrictions were loosened - the officer could initiate pursuit if he or she had reason to believe the vehicle itself – and not just a person inside it – was involved in a crime. Finally, in 2017, the policy was loosened yet again, allowing police to chase cars involved in reckless driving or if the occupants were involved in drug dealing. The number of injuries increased in 2018  Of the third-party injuries in 2018, eight were described as serious, and 18 were described as minor. The rest were described as either "pain," "no apparent injury," or "possible injury," according to the report. (A single pursuit can result in more than one injury.) There were 165 injuries among those who were chased. Five injuries were fatal. Seven injuries were classified as major, 14 as moderate, and 137 as minor. Twenty Police Department members were injured in chases last year. Two were injured in two separate accidents, meaning there were 22 total injuries. One officer's injuries were fatal, two had major injuries, and 19 were minor. "Of the 22 employee injuries, 15 (68 percent) were reported to be using safety equipment and 7 (32 percent) were reported to not be using safety equipment," the report said. The number of accidents shot up in 2018, but the percentage of chases resulting in accidents rose just 2.5 percentage points  Reckless driving was the main reason police initiated vehicle chases in 2018  Slightly more than half of 2018 chases reached speeds of more than 75 mph  Fewer than 40% of 2018 chases resulted in apprehension of the suspect  The report discusses charges requested when suspects are caught, but not the charges issued or charges of conviction. The most frequently sought charges, according to the report, were those directly related to the chase, such as fleeing or recklessly endangering safety. Beyond those types of cases, police accused 581 people of operating the automobiles without the owners' consent, 101 people of possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver, 96 of possessing controlled substances, and 88 of being felons in possession of firearms. Most 2018 chases ended because they were terminated by police or because the suspect escaped   Nordstrand "Walker's judges" is our effort to present information about former Gov. Walker's appointees to the bench. The information is taken from the appointees' own judgeship applications. While Walker has left office, WJI will continue to profile his appointees who are still in office. We also will profile Gov. Tony Evers' judicial appointees.
Name: Scott J. Nordstrand Appointed to: St. Croix County Circuit Court Appointment date: Jan. 2, 2019 Education: Law School – University of North Dakota School of Law Undergraduate – University of Wisconsin – River Falls High School – Hudson High School Recent legal employment: 2014 - present – General counsel and special projects, Solutran, Inc. 2007-2014 – Director of administration and legal counsel, SSG Corp. 2005-2006 – Commissioner, Alaska Department of Administration 2005 – Alaska acting attorney general Memberships: State Bar Association Alaska Bar Association Legal experience as an advocate in criminal litigation, civil litigation, administrative proceedings: First worked at two private firms in Anchorage, Alaska. Practice included employment, commercial and personal injury law. Accepted position as deputy attorney general for Alaska in 2003. In this role, I served as the Chief Deputy to the Attorney General and supervised 140 attorneys. The breadth, complexity and diversity of the civil legal matters facing the State of Alaska were extraordinary. Unlike most states, Alaska statutorily prohibited other departments of government from employing attorneys, so the civil lawyers I supervised addressed every non-criminal matter in state government. No representation of clients in court or administrative hearings since becoming corporate lawyer. Number of cases tried to verdict or judgment: Jury, <5; non-jury, <10; arbitration, <10; administrative bodies, <10. Cases on appeal: 10 Three most significant cases: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1547 v. Alaska Utility Construction, Inc – This case concerned union harassment against a small non-union electrical contractor. It had a contentious and lengthy pre-trial and trial process, culminating in this appeal successfully defending our punitive damage award. We experienced periodic threats of violence directed at our client and firm. At the time, the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) was the most formidable and aggressive union in Alaska and this case was considered to be a true case of David defeating Goliath. Petro Star, Inc. v. Northland Alaska, Inc. – In this case, I brought a negligence action on behalf of Petro Star regarding a fuel truck accident at a construction site on the North Slope near the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. The jury trial was set in Barrow—the closest venue to the site of the incident. The judge, attorneys and witnesses all flew into Barrow and stayed together at a hotel on the Arctic Ocean near the courthouse. It was dark nearly every hour of the day and the walk to the courthouse— less than a block—was quite a challenge at 45 degrees below. My client representatives were Alaska natives, as Petro Star was a subsidiary of an Alaska Native Corporation. They joined me at the plaintiff’s table for the first few days of trial. Surprisingly, one day they came to court and told me that they could no longer attend trial as they needed to begin preparations for the whaling season. I continued without them. Unfortunately, the jury did not find in favor of my client, but it was a memorable week trying a case in the northern most city in the world. And it tested my ability to adapt to extraordinary circumstances. Taranto v. North Slope Borough – Concerned Barrow (Alaska) residents, including the NSB (North Slope Borough) clerk, believed that Sheila Taranto, a local taxicab operator, was providing illegal alcohol and drugs to local residents from her cab. So, they prepared a petition seeking the names of those with information regarding Taranto’s illegal activities and put it at the front desk of the NSB clerk’s office. Taranto brought a defamation suit against NSB. NSB retained me after a failed attempt to dismiss the case before the Alaska Supreme Court. On remand, I brought a motion before the trial court seeking to establish the law of the case that government speech concerning matters of public safety were entitled to constitutional or common law protection thus requiring Taranto to prove “actual malice” to prevail on her defamation claim and seeking summary judgment. The trial court agreed with my analysis, as did the Alaska Supreme Court in the case cited above. Ultimately, Taranto filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court. One of my writing samples is the brief I filed on behalf of NSB in opposition, so more details about the case can be found there. The petition was denied and NSB prevailed. The process of developing and presenting a constitutional defense for NSB, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, was a satisfying professional challenge.  By Gretchen Schuldt (Updated April 11 to reflect Lisa Neubauer's concession to Brian Hagedorn.) Franklin had one ward with a 16.6 percent voter turnout in the April 2 election, the lowest participation rate in any ward in all 18 Milwaukee County suburbs. Still, that Franklin ward had a greater turnout than 146 Milwaukee wards did. Fifty wards in the city had turnout below 10 percent. The overall city rate was 22 percent. Those participation levels can be considered either an embarrassment or a great opportunity for improvement. They certainly helped Brian Hagedorn in his race against Lisa Neubauer for a seat on the State Supreme Court. Hagedorn leads by 5,960 votes and the two may be headed for a recount. (Neubauer conceded to Hagedorn on April 10.) A chart listing the 50 lowest-turnout Milwaukee wards and a map showing their locations are below..   U.S. Attorney Matt Krueger (Eastern District of Wisconsin) will be the guest speaker at the next WJI Salon. Krueger, sworn in early last year after his appointment by President Trump, will speak about his office's law enforcement priorities and challenges. The Salon will be at noon April 24 at the Riverfront Pizzeria, 509 E. Erie St. Bring your questions and your appetite for a buffet lunch of a main dish, pizza, salad, and garlic bread. Vegetarian options will be available. The cost of the buffet is $14. Please make your reservation by 5 p.m. Monday, April 22. (Sorry, no refunds for cancellations made after that time.) Click here to register and order your lunch!  Krueger Wait! There's more! Join your WJI friends for an informal WJI happy hour from 5 p,m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at the Gathering Place Brewing Co., 811 E. Vienna Ave., Milwaukee. Cash bar – we'll supply the snacks. Earlier reports that there would be an open bar were either a) a nefarious attempt at sabotage or b) mistakes. You decide. Milwaukee win gives Danielle Shelton huge boost in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 40 win4/4/2019  Shelton By Gretchen Schuldt Circuit Judge-elect Danielle Shelton's big win in Milwaukee on Tuesday gave her a big boost in her decisive victory over incumbent Andrew Jones in the race for the Branch 40 bench, Milwaukee County election records show. Shelton's margin of victory in the city was 20 votes larger than it was countywide. Shelton, an assistant state public defender, won the race countywide by 18,243 votes, 71,647 to 53,404. In Milwaukee, she beat Jones by 18,263 votes, 38,414 to 20,141. Shelton won in 10 of the county's 18 suburbs. Her average suburban victory, however, was 442 votes, while her average suburban loss was 556 votes. Overall, she lost in the suburbs by 20 votes. Shelton's largest suburban win was in Shorewood, where she won by 1,608 votes and took 70 percent of the vote, the largest vote share either candidate won in the county. Shelton won 66 percent of the vote in Milwaukee, her second biggest vote share. Her largest loss was in Franklin, where Jones captured 61 percent of the ballots and won by 1,495 votes. The Branch 40 race did not attract the voter participation that the Supreme Court race between Lisa Neubauer and Brian Hagedorn did. There were 25,053, or 17%, fewer total votes cast for Shelton and Jones than there were for Hagedorn and Neubauer, who also faced off Tuesday. There were 125,051 votes for the two Branch 40 candidates and 150,104 for the Supreme Court contenders.  Neubauer wins Milwaukee County in tight court race; turnout high in Shorewood, tanks in Milwaukee4/3/2019 By Gretchen Schuldt (Updated April 11 to reflect Lisa Neubauer's concession.) State Supreme Court candidate Lisa Neubauer handily outpolled opponent Brian Hagedorn in Milwaukee County, taking 62 percent of the votes in their contest for the State Supreme Court, according to county figures. That margin of victory did not reflect the statewide outcome. Hagedorn led early Wednesday afternoon in a tight race that may end with a recount. (Neubauer conceded to Hagedorn on April 10.) The voter turnout was fairly low in Milwaukee County - 29 percent - which likely hurt Neubauer's statewide chances. Big turnouts in the county generally help more liberal candidates, and Neubauer is considered to the left of the very conservative Hagedorn. The Milwaukee County turnout was 30 percent last year when Rebecca Dallet was elected to the State Supreme Court. The city of Milwaukee's turnout was an abysmal 22 percent, according to county Election Commission figures. Fewer than 10 percent of voters turned out in 50 of the city's 327 wards, the figures show. The lowest turnout – three percent – was in Milwaukee's Ward 192, just north of Marquette University. (There also was one ward where none of the five registered voters cast a ballot, but that ward is excluded from consideration here because of its tiny size.) The highest turnout in Milwaukee was 50 percent in Ward 300, just north of St. Francis on the city's South side. Only in Shorewood did more than half – 53 percent – of all voters turn out. Shorewood went in a big way for Neubauer, who won a whopping 83 percent of the votes. That is by far her biggest win in the county. In Milwaukee, she was backed by 73 percent of voters, her second-biggest victory. It was not a Milwaukee County sweep for Neubauer, however. She lost in Franklin, where she received only 39 percent of the vote. She also lost in Greendale (45 percent), Greenfield (44 percent), Hales Corners and Oak Creek (41 percent each), South Milwaukee (48 percent), and West Allis (47 percent).   Hepler By Gretchen Schuldt
A judge erred when he said that sperm DNA evidence helpful to the defendant in a sexual assault case was inadmissible under the state's rape shield law, the State Court of Appeals has ruled. The shield law disallows evidence of a sexual assault victim's sexual history because of its prejudicial effect. "In general, 'all relevant evidence is admissible,'” the panel said, quoting state law. The case now heads back to Sauk County Circuit Court. The unsigned decision by the District IV Court of Appeals panel reversed a ruling by Circuit Judge Todd J. Hepler, who barred sperm DNA evidence that excluded defendant Juan L. Walker as the source of sperm found on the victim's bed sheet. Hepler said the sperm was evidence of "prior sexual conduct" of the victim, Katherine, or someone else, and thus was inadmissible under the rape shield law. Defendant Walker also was excluded as the source of other, non-sperm DNA evidence, but Hepler also ruled that evidence inadmissible. Hepler said the absence of Walker's DNA on the sheet "does not necessarily equate to the absence of Mr Walker at the scene. Simply because there is no DNA there on that particular bed sheet does not necessarily mean that Mr. Walker was not there. The presence of another's DNA doesn't equate to the absence of another's DNA either." The victim, identified only as Katherine, had been drinking before the assault, according to the appeal panel. Two friends helped her after she vomited outside a Lake Delton restaurant. Walker, whom none of the three had met before, stopped, offered to help, and eventually gave them a ride to Katherine's home, according to the appeals panel, which included Appeals Judges Paul Lundsten, Brian Blanchard, and Michael R. Fitzpatrick. Jones and Shelton, Milwaukee County judicial candidates, address recusal and obstacles to justice4/1/2019 Election Day is April 2! Please vote!  Danielle Shelton and Andrew Jones are competing for the Branch 40 judicial seat vacated by Rebecca Dallet when she was elected to the State Supreme Court in April 2018. Jones has held the seat since August, when he was appointed by former Gov. Scott Walker. This is the only contested Milwaukee County judicial race this spring. Jones and Shelton agreed to answer a series of questions from WJI to better inform voters about the race. This is the last entry in our series of questions we posed to the two candidates. Question 9: Do you support requiring any justice to recuse him/herself from cases involving donors and indirect supporters who contribute money or other resources to the judge’s election? If not, why not. If so, why? Question 10: What are the greatest obstacles judges face when trying to deliver true justice? What can or should be done about them? Question 11: Describe any other information you feel would be helpful to your application.
|
Donate
Help WJI advocate for justice in Wisconsin 
Click the pic to visit our swag and events sign-up page!
|
RSS Feed
Copyright © 2019 Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc.
The Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. does not endorse candidates for political office. The Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization.
The Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. does not endorse candidates for political office. The Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization.