Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the TV and avoid political commercials, it's time for the spring elections -- with a state Supreme Court race and several county judicial races -- to get underway.

The Supreme Court race pretty much started this week when Jefferson County Circuit Judge Randy R. Koschnick fulfilled expectations that he would announce his campaign to attempt to unseat Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. Given the recent contest for the high court seat of Louis Butler, which Butler lost to a relatively unknown former prosecutor and judge Mike Gableman, this one should pull out all the stops in the bible of dirty campaigning, as well.

Koschnick will run with the full support of right-wing conservative groups such as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, All Children Matter and the Coalition for America's Families -- pleasant sounding groups with sharp-tongued agendas.

Gableman embraced that crowd in his run earlier this year in a race that saw record spending for a court seat. Gableman was later found to have violated state election and judicial codes by running a patently false TV ad about Butler.

Koschnick is a former public defender who was elected a circuit judge in 1999 and re-elected in 2005. Abrahamson was first appointed to the court in 1976. She became chief justice 12 years ago and will seek a new 10-year term in the April ballot.

Perhaps anticipating the muddy groundswell of smears about to come her way, Abrahamson used her annual State of the Judiciary address to again ask the state Legislature to approve public financing of judicial campaigns, since the nasty ads usually come from outside groups fueled with money from unknown sources. It's not a new idea by any stretch.

"The people of our state must be assured that our courts work for them and them alone," Abrahamson said in her speech. "We do not work for special interests, associations, advocacy groups or political parties of any kind, pro- or anti- anything."

Democrats who controlled the Senate the last two years passed a public financing plan during the the last session, but the Republican majority in the Assembly killed the measure. Democrats control both houses now.

Abrahamson also used her address to take a swipe at the standard code words used by the right in their fight against more liberal judges like Abrahamson, such as "elitist," "activist" and "legislating from the bench."

"Threats to our independent, non-partisan judiciary must not and will not be tolerated in this state," she added. "Wisconsin judges have both an institutional and personal interest in the election of judges and the tenor of campaigns. We must ensure that judicial campaigns are worth of the electorate."

On the Milwaukee court scene, Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County Daniel Gabler announced that he will run for the seat vacated by Judge Michael Brennan, who wants to go into private practice. Brennan was often listed among potential Supreme Court candidates and was recently on the short list for a federal bench job.

It should be no surprise that Gabler's mantra is "fair but firm," since that's the going pitch these days.

Another Milwaukee County bench opened up for spring polling fun when John Franke announced he was leaving for private practice, too.

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Posted by HankRearden on Nov. 19, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. (report)

Just like "Squirrely Shirley" to whine and complain about "the people" actually having a voice in who sits on the Supreme Court, and to try to change the rules so only candidates of her ilk can legislate from the bench. Perhaps "King Jim" Doyle should abolish all judicial elections and only grant vassalships to the leftist members of the Bar whom he deems worthy. When you put aside the petulant pettifoggery, the essence of the argument seems to be "Louie Butler lost and that's not fair!!!!" So the rules must be changed to never again allow a conservative jurist to have a fair chance of getting elected. Elitist indeed!!!!