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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Updated: February 27, 2009

• Organization to Monitor State Supreme Court Campaigns
  Associated Press – February 27, 2009
• Candidates Weigh In On Campaign Contributions
  Wisconsin Law Journal – February 25, 2009
• WMC Sitting Out Supreme Court Race
  Wispolitics.com – January 28, 2009
• Controversial campaign review committee is back for second year
  Wisconsin Law Journal – Jan. 28, 2009
• Watchdog group plans to monitor Supreme Court race
  Wisconsin State Journal – Dec. 11, 2008

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.   

• WMC Ad Attacking Butler Omits Facts About Cases, Nickname
  March 25, 2008
• Business Group Touts Gableman’s Record On Crime
  March 10, 2008

WISC TV Channel 3 (Madison) Reality Check:

• Reality Check: WMC Ad Attacks Justice Butler
  March 29, 2008
• Reality Check:  Ad Attacking Gableman On Sex Offenders Makes Misleading Claims
  March 28, 2008
• Reality Check:  WMC Sponsors Ad Attacking Incumbent Justice
  March 25, 2008
• Reality Check:  Examining Supreme Court Justice’s Campaign Ad
  March 20, 2008
• Reality Check:  Third Party Ad in Supreme Court Race
  March 7, 2008

Newsweek Magazine:

• Wisconsin Judgment Day, The Sequel
  March 21, 2008
• Judgment Day in Wisconsin:  Misleading Voters
  March 7, 2008

FactCheck.org (Annenberg Political Fact Check): 

• Court Watch, Wisconsin Edition (Video)
  March 13, 2008

Candidate Debates and Voter Guides:

• State Bar of Wisconsin Debate (Video)
  March 25, 2008
  Wisconsin Eye (Video)
• We The People Debate
  Friday, March 28, 2008, 7:00 P.M., on both Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio.  The debate will repeat on My Madison TV-14 at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 29 and at 10 a.m. Sunday, March 30 on both WISC-TV and WPT. WMVS-TV in Milwaukee will also air the forum at 10 a.m. Sunday, March 30.
• League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Voters Guide
• Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, The Wisconsin Taxpayer, Supreme Court Election:  The Candidates Speak
  January 2008
• “Paper Debate,” Dunn County News and Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance

Justice at Stake: Special Interests Continue Dominance of Airwaves
Brennan Center for Justice: Special Interests Dominate: Wisconsin Airwaves in High Court Race
Full Annenberg Report:  First installment of our Court Watch series: Misleading voters about corruption, rape and murder in a battle to oust a Wisconsin justice.
Part Two, Full Annenberg Report:  White Challenger Launches Willie Horton-Style Hit, While A Business Group Twists The “Letter From The Grave” Case
Court Watch: Wisconsin Edition (Video)
Factcheck.org (Annenberg Political Fact Check), March 13, 2008

Updated: July 2, 2008

• Politicians Find Ways To Play On Racial Fears Across U.S.
  Associated Press, July 2, 2008
• Taking a Closer Look at Ads
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 30, 2008
• Bitter Supreme Court Race in Final Hours
  Associated Press, March 30, 2008
• Reality Check: WMC Ad Attacks Justice Butler (Video)
  WISC TV Channel 3 (Madison) March 29, 2008
• Editorial: Protecting Our Courts’ Integrity, Neutrality
  Wall Street Journal, March 29, 2008
• Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Mirrors A John Grisham Novel
  Associated Press, March 29, 2008
• Help For Undecided Voters In Supreme Court Race
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 28, 2008
• Editorial:  Yes, It Matters (Supreme Court Election) – Video
  WISC TV Channel 3 (Madison), March 28, 2008
• Reality Check:  Ad Attacking Gableman On Sex Offenders Makes Misleading Claims
  WISC TV Channel 3 (Madison), March 28, 2008
• More Flaws Found In Ad Attacking Gableman On Sex Offenders
  Associated Press, March 27, 2008
• Watchdog Calls New Issue Ad Off Target (WMC)
  Wisconsin State Journal, March 27, 2008
• Wisconsin’s Business Lobby Throw Its Weight Into Judicial Elections
  BusinessNorth.com, March 27, 2008
• More than $2 Million Spent On Spent On TV Ads In Supreme Court Race So Far
  Associated Press, March 27, 2008
• Ads Keep Hammering In Court Race
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 27, 2008
• High Stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Gets Uglier
  Associated Press, March 26, 2008
• Monitoring Group Blasts Ad Attacking Gableman On Sex Offenders
  Associated Press, March 26, 2008
• WMC Ad Takes On “Loophole Louie,” Campaign Watchdog Raps It
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 26, 2008
• AdWatch:  WMC Ad Attacking Butler Omits Facts About Cases, Nickname
  Associated Press, March 25, 2008
• Reality Check:  WMC Sponsors Ad Attacking Incumbent Justice
  WISC TV Channel 3 (Madison), March 25, 2008
• Wisconsin State Bar Committee To Review Campaign Ads (Video)
  WISN Channel 12, March 23, 2008
• Butler, Gableman and Special Interests Weigh in on Court Race
  Associated Press, March 22, 2008
• Wisconsin Judgement Day, The Sequel
  Newsweek, March 21, 2008
• Supreme Court TV Ads Manipulate Truth
  Appleton Post Crescent, March 21, 2008
• Supreme Court Campaigns, Watchdogs Object To Issue Ads
  Green Bay Press Gazette, March 21, 2008
• Campaign Ads Overstate Supreme Court’s Role On Crime
  Associated Press, March 21, 2008
• Gableman TV Ad Hits Below The Belt
  Sheboygan Press, March 20,
• Racist Or Misleading, High Court Ad Aims Low
  The Capital Times, March 20, 2008
• Remove The TV Ad
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 19, 2008
• Attack Ad Criticized For Misleading Public
  Wisconsin Radio Network, March 19, 2008
• Gableman TV Ad Sparks Investigation (Video)
  WKOW TV Channel 27 (Madison), March 18, 2008
• Butler TV Spot Responds to Allegations; Gableman Ad Draws Complaint Filing
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 18, 2008
• Complaint Filed Over Gableman Campaign Ad In Supreme Court Race
  Associated Press, March 18, 2008
• Sykes ‘Throws a Flag’ on Gableman Ad
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 18, 2008
• NAACP Decries Campaign Ad; Commercial Called Inflammatory
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 17, 2008
• Gableman Ad Called “Highly Offensive”
  Associated Press, March 18, 2008
• Doyle Calls Gableman Campaign Ad a New Low
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 17, 2008
• Public Safety Looms Large
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 15, 2008
• Records Show New Ad Misleads About Butler’s Role in Case
  Associated Press, March 14, 2008
• TV Ad By Gableman Comes Out Swinging
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 14, 2008
• Campaign Ads Worry Candidates
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 12, 2008
• Butler, Gableman Spar Over Campaign Conduct
  Wispolitics.com, March 12, 2008
• Editorial: Supreme Court Candidates Could Blow Whistle On Crass Outside Ads
  Oshkosh Northwestern, March 12, 2008
• Butler Denies Claim He Sides With Criminals 60 Percent Of Time
  Associated Press – March 11, 2008
• Anti-Butler Ads Get Facts Wrong
  The Capital Times – March 11, 2008
• Judicial Watchdog Says Ads Against Gableman Are Unfair
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – March 10, 2008
• Wisconsin Court Race Gets Fact Checked
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – March 10, 2008
• Monitoring Group Says Attack Ad Denigrates Judges
  Associated Press, March 10, 2008
• WMC Launches Offensive in Court Race
  The Capital Times, March 10, 2008
• Judgment Day in Wisconsin: Misleading Voters
  Newsweek, March 7, 2008
  Full Annenberg Report:  First installment of our Court Watch series: Misleading voters about corruption, rape and murder in a battle to oust a Wisconsin justice.
• Editorial: Election Watchdog Working (Video)
  Channel 3 (Madison) – Feb. 28, 2008
• Both High Court Campaigns Chided
  The Capital Times – Feb. 28, 2008
• Election Monitoring Group Criticizes Ad, Fundraising Letter
  Associated Press – Feb. 27, 2008
• High Court Race Criticized
  Wisconsin State Journal – Feb. 27, 2008
• Judicial Campaign Watchdog Weighs in on Two Issues in Court Race
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Feb. 27, 2008

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.