About the Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidates

Someday, I’ll have to create a category called Could You Be More Obvious if You Tried™ or That’s No Way to Persuade in Print (Even if You Think It Is)™.

Consider these three descriptions of the candidates for Supreme Court Justice, on the ballot today:

Patience Roggensack [conservative]: “The incumbent, Patience Roggensack, is seeking her second ten year term on the Supreme Court bench. Before serving on the Supreme Court, Roggensack was an appelate [sic] court judge. On her website, Roggensack lists endorsements from about 100 former judges, including four former Supreme Court Justices.”

Vince Megna [liberal]: “a consumer rights attorney for the past 23 years, has suggested that he wants to represent “ordinary people on the Supreme Court” and believes that the justices should be honest about their political leaning. Megna is endorsed by a Milwaukee County judge and consumer rights advocates.”

Ed Fallone [moderate-liberal]: “a law professor at Marquette University, wants to be more representative of Wisconsin families. According to his campaign’s spokesperson, “leveling the playing field” for familes [sic] as opposed to special interests is why Fallone is running. Fallone is endorsed by former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold and two LGBT groups.”

Descriptions like these are a parody of how to describe the candidates fairly – it’s condescension to describe Fallone, in particular, as though he were simply the recipient of former Sen. Feingold’s endorsement and that of two LGBT groups.

Fallone has had a storied academic career at Marquette, and here’s his experience and background:

Legal Background
Associate Professor, Marquette University Law School
Expert in Constitutional Law, Corporate Law, and Criminal Law
Attorney, Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan
Represented clients in complex corporate litigation
and shareholder lawsuits

Involved in the Community

President, Wisconsin Stem Cell Now
President’s Award, Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee 2010
Steering Committee, Catholic Charities Legal Services for Immigrants 2000-2005
President and Member of Board of Directors, Latino Community Center 2000-2003
Board of Trustees, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee 2000-2003
President, Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association 1996-1997

Education and Family

J.D., magna cum laude, Boston University School of Law
B.A., summa cum laude, Boston University
Married, with two children

About Ed

For his entire career, Ed Fallone has been fighting to ensure all people have equal justice before the law. Ed is a law professor at Marquette Law School, teaching Constitutional, Corporate and Criminal Law. He is active in the State Bar, serving on the committee that drafted the state securities law and holding leadership positions. He led nonprofit organizations working to increase access to justice for immigrants and the “working poor,” and to provide anti-gang programs for at risk youth. He has been a practicing lawyer for almost 25 years in both federal and state courts.

Who’s endorsed him, by the way? It’s been far more than one former senator and two advocacy groups.

Here’s a more representative list:

Wisconsin AFL-CIO
Wisconsin Education Association Council
American Federation of Teachers – Wisconsin
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees – Council 40
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees – Council 48
American Federation of Teachers – Local 212
Madison Teachers Incorporated
Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals
Service Employees International Union.

State Senate Democratic Leader Chris Larson
State Senator Tim Carpenter
State Senator Dave Hansen
State Senator Nikkiya Harris
State Senator Bob Wirch
State Senator Jen Shilling
State Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca
State Representative Mandela Barnes
State Representative Evan Goyke
State Representative Fred Kessler
State Representative Cory Mason
State Representative Jon Richards
State Representative Mandy Wright
State Representative Jocasta Zamarripa
State Representative Dana Wachs

See, http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=289730 and http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=289637.

Make no mistake: I’m not a Democrat, and it’s fair to say that reading Fallone’s work over the years, I’ve had reason to disagree with some of his conclusions. But there’s no doubt – none at all – that he’s a well-qualified, mainstream candidate.

Ed Fallone has had a fine and distinguished professional practice and also academic career at Marquette Law.

Pretending otherwise is mistaken, and transparently & selectively so.