A reader comments on my earlier post:
Let’s all take a breath. Justice Butler took free rent, secretarial services, legal services, accounting services, etc. from a downtown Milwaukee law firm organized as a corporation under Wisconsin law.
He didn’t pay rent. He didn’t reimburse.
That’s illegal.
The sponsor of the complaint is irrelevant.
If a Republican did this with a GOP law firm, Brian Blanchard would convene a John Doe, and you know it.
The liberal press and political-legal establishment will scoff at this because they are afraid of conducting an examination of the felony involved in the illegal corporate in-kind.
Additionally, why in the world would Butler allow these lawyers into his courtroom after he was taking free rent and other services?
Do you think they were putting a thumb on the scale of justice?
How many clients lost to Friebert Finerty and St John in Butler’s courtroom and are now wondering if it was rigged.
A good lawyer knows the law.
A great lawyer knows the judge.
A really great lawyer gives the judge a free campaign headquarters, a secreatry, an accountant, free legal advice and lots of other free stuff.
This is an outrage and you have to ask yourself:
Where is Mike McCabe when you need him?
Well, who knows what McCabe would say? To my knowledge, no reporter has asked him or anyone else about the complaint. The comment above is spot on, if this were a conservative judge or Republican candidate facing such an allegation, this would be a front page, above the fold story. There is no good reason for the mainstream press to treat this complaint any differently than the multitude of One Wisconsin Now and Greater Wisconsin Committee complaints that are filed in every high profile race.
Butler is innocent of these allegations unless proven otherwise, but these charges deserve to be investigated and the press should cover the story. Their silence speaks volumes.
And newspapers wonder why their circulations are plummeting?
March 26th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
[…] Rick Esenberg and raising every specious “argument” against Judge Mike Gabelman are themselves silent about Justice Louis Butler’s very-cozy relationshiop with a Milwaukee law firm. […]
March 26th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
What a bunch of garbage-time hooey. Butler’s campaign says they paid the firm a retainer and reimburse the firm for their time. Do you know that’s not true? If not, what exactly are you saying is wrong? Is that all you got at this late date — a complaint by Dohnal? Pathetic.
March 26th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Wispolitics reports that the Butler campaign did finally cut a $1,000 check to the firm in time for their pre-primary report.
Is that for 8 years worth of service? If so, what is that, $11 a month for rent, postal service, secretarial service, etc?
As I said, he’s presumed innocent, but the allegations and (what should be) pending investigation merits as much attention as anything OWN or GWC has alleged.
Consider that the complaint further alleges that Butler did not recuse himself from cases before the court involving representatives of the corporation.
This isn’t whining about not having a disclaimer on a bumper sticker…
March 26th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Until I see this in an “issue ad” from WMC I won’t believe it. I can see it now, “Call Justice Butler and tell him to [fill in the blank w/some jack ass tag line].”
The 3rd parties on both sides aren’t even bothering to be creative or substantive in their ads. Politics seems to keep sinking to new lows. Sigh.
March 27th, 2008 at 5:11 am
[…] a complaint with the Government Accountability Board, but except for WisPolitics, Brian Fraley (1, 2), the Wisconsin Club For Growth, and now James Wigderson, there has been no coverage in the main […]