Now Wisconsin's other far-right justice is losing her shit over the fact that liberals just took a majority on the state Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years.
Even before progressive Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in on Aug. 1 following her landslide victory at the ballot box earlier this year, conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley began having an epic meltdown, as chronicled in delicious detail by law professor Quinn Yeargain. Most telling of all was her rant that her fellow jurists amounted to no more than "politicians wearing robes." That, of course, was pure projection: Just last week, Bradley was seen attending the Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee and partying at a Koch event afterward.
But Bradley's comrade in arms, Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, is no less apoplectic. Ziegler now appears to be leaking internal court emails venting about her liberal colleagues that she thinks will make them look bad. In reality, they only reflect poorly on her.
After progressive justices used their new majority to appoint a new administrator for the state court system, she seethed, "This is nothing short of an unprecedented coup." No, it's not—nor is it an "illegal experiment," as she later fumed. Or "a historical disgrace." Or a "hostile takeover." It’s actually just called having an election.
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And nor was any of this done "without regard for the Constitution, case law, or Supreme Court rules." It's really simple, as Yeargain has explained: The state constitution says that the court's "administrative authority," which includes the ability to hire and fire officials, can only be exercised "pursuant to procedures adopted by the supreme court." The Supreme Court—that is, a majority of justices, not the chief justice acting alone.
After a decade-and-a-half of enjoying unquestioned authority, though, Ziegler can't abide this new reality. She's even claiming that she plans to try hiring a new administrator, despite the fact the position is already filled—incidentally, by a judge who was originally an appointee of Scott Walker.
"We need a Director of State Courts, and I will have that position posted for a nationwide search," she insisted. Prospective applicants may want to consider passing on this opportunity.
Like Bradley, Ziegler is a master of projection, too. In 2008, Ziegler became Wisconsin’s first-ever Supreme Court justice to be disciplined by the Supreme Court itself for failing to withdraw from 11 different cases involving a bank where her husband served on the board of directors when she was a lower court judge. She was also required to pay $17,000 in fines.
Now she's acting out like a toddler who’s been denied more ice cream and hasn't ruled out the possibility of a lawsuit. (Good luck with that!) But her liberal colleagues, wisely, know how to deal with this sort of tantrum.
"You stand in the company of equals and your vote does not count extra (let alone prevail against four other votes)," wrote Justice Rebecca Dallet in response to Ziegler's latest diatribe. "Whether you like it or not is irrelevant. Your frantic emails and public statements notwithstanding, your power has been limited, in accordance with the constitution, which allows a majority to rule and to develop procedures you must respect."
In other words, elections have consequences. And as both Ziegler and Bradley will soon find out, there are going to be a whole lot more of 'em.
