As the 2009 campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court winds down, the Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) has raised concerns about new ads and cautioned voters to be highly skeptical of all 30-second ads as they decide who should serve a ten-year term on the state Supreme Court.

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The State Bar has reconstituted the Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) to help voters make informed choices in the April 7, 2009 Supreme Court Election. “Our central message is that while judges, including Supreme Court Justices, are elected in Wisconsin much like other public officials, the role of judges is different than that of legislators, governors and other elected officials who represent various constituencies and advocate policy goals,” explains committee chair Tom Basting.

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The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) cautions voters to be highly skeptical of any political advertising they come across in the next few days.  It is expected voters will be barraged with new and potentially deceptive ads this weekend prior to Tuesday’s Supreme Court election.  The WJCIC urges voters to seek out reliable, nonbiased sources of information about the candidates.   

The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) finds that a new ad produced by the Wisconsin Education Association Council PAC does not inform voters about all relevant facts concerning two criminal defendants sentenced by Judge Michael Gableman.  The ad continues an unfortunate trend on both sides of the current Supreme Court campaign of politicizing and oversimplifying complex legal cases.

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The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) finds that a new issue ad produced by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce deceives voters regarding two cases recently decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.  The ad misleads voters about key opinions in these cases and adds nothing constructive to the current campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

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The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) finds that a new ad produced by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce is a deceptive attack upon Wisconsin’s tradition of fair and impartial courts. The ad makes deceptive statements regarding Constitutional principles and adds nothing to the public understanding of the issues in this campaign.

The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) has reviewed a television advertisement from the campaign of Judge Michael Gableman regarding a criminal case Justice Louis Butler was involved in decades ago in his role as a Public Defender. The committee finds this ad to be both highly offensive and deliberately misleading and urges Judge Gableman to take it off the air.

The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) has reviewed a third-party television advertisement that criticizes Judge Michael Gableman’s record as a prosecutor and judge in respect to his handling of cases involving the sexual assault of children. The committee believes the ad is problematic and misleading to voters for a number of reasons, including the reality that a 30-second TV ad simply cannot provide an appropriate and meaningful context within which data of the kind presented here can be evaluated by voters.

The WJCIC believes two negative attack television ads produced by a group calling itself the Coalition for America’s Families unfairly attack the record and integrity of Justice Louis Butler. This group is not associated with any candidate or campaign and is not subject to state campaign finance laws. These ads were released on Thursday, March 6, 2008.

The WJCIC has reviewed a third-party television advertisement entitled “Bottom.” The Greater Wisconsin Committee produced this “issue ad.” GWC is an unregulated issue advocacy group that is not associated with any candidate or campaign and is not subject to campaign finance laws. The ad was released on Wednesday, March 5, 2008.