Supreme Court remains divided over court spending
The seven members of Wisconsin's Supreme Court are feuding over what some of them see as the abuse of power by Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson.By: Gil Halsted, Wisconsin Public Radio, Superior Telegram
The seven members of Wisconsin's Supreme Court are feuding over what some of them see as the abuse of power by Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
Four justices are demanding the creation of a finance committee to oversee court spending.
The court spent all day Friday (2/4) arguing about the Chief Justice's authority to spend tax payer dollars on a children's court conference and a statewide mental health initiative.
Justice Michael Gabelman told the Chief it's not the value of the programs she's signed off on, it's the need for oversight from the other six justices.
“The issue, it seems to me, is whether this is a court of one or this is a court of seven," said Gableman.
After hours of debate, the court approved in concept the creation of a finance committee that will include the Chief Justice and two other justices along with the chief state appeals court judge. The powers and duties of the committee will be hammered out later in a future open administrative conference.
Justices Gableman, Roggensack, and Prosser all said those details could be decided in closed meeting. But Justice Anne Walsh Bradley -- with support from Justice Abrahamson and Crooks -- insisted the meetings be open.
“You’re covering up what is going on,” said Justice Bradley. “The light that is shining by being in public as painful as it is, is better than having agendas that are really harmful to the court and the institution going on behind closed doors."
Bradley is convinced that the current effort to strip the Chief Justice of some of her power violates a 1978 constitutional amendment granting her those powers.
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