David T. Prosser

From Judgepedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Share this Judge:  E-mail this story Bookmark with Facebook Share on twitter.com Share on Google+

David T. Prosser
Placeholder image.png
Do you have a photo that could go here? Submit it for this profile by emailing us!
Current Court Information:
Wisconsin Supreme Court
Title:   Justice
Service:
Appointed by:   Tommy G. Thompson
Active:   1998 - 2021
Past post:   Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission
Past term:   1996 - 1998
Personal History
Party:   Republican
Bachelors:   Depauw University, 1965
Law School:   University of Wisconsin Law School, 1968
Candidate 2011:
Candidate for:  Supreme Court
State:  Wisconsin
Election information 2011:
Incumbent:  Yes
Primary date:  February 15, 2011
Primary vote:  54.7%ApprovedA
Election date:  April 5, 2011
Election vote:  50.192%ApprovedA

Contents

David T. Prosser, Jr. is a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and was appointed to the court by Republican Governor Tommy G. Thompson in 1998, and subsequently elected to a 10-year term in 2001. His term expires on July 31, 2021.

Health issue

In early December 2011, Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson announced that Prosser would not hear any oral arguments in December. He was said to be taking a month off to recover from a "serious" heath issue, though one that is "not life-threatening." [1]

Education

Prosser received his B.A. from Depauw University in 1965 and his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1968.[2]

Career

After graduating from law school, Prosser worked for the federal government in Washington D.C. He served as an attorney and adviser in the Office of Criminal Justice and later as administrative assistant to U.S. Representative Harold Froehlich. Returning to Wisconsin, Prosser was the district attorney for Outagamie County. In 1979, he was elected to the State Assembly. He served as a representative for 18 years. Next, Prosser was appointed to the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission. He was serving in this position when he was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1998. [3]

Opinions

Awards and Associations

  • Member, James E. Doyle American Inns of Court
  • Member, Friends of the Fox
  • Member, James Watrous Gallery Advisory Committee [3]

2011 election

See also: Wisconsin judicial elections, 2011

Prosser received 54.7% of the vote in the primary election on February 15. His opponent in the general election on April 5, 2011 was JoAnne Kloppenburg. [4]

Prosser said that he ran for re-election because "I have served on the court for more than 12 years, I enjoy the work, I think I'm good at the work and I would like to continue that work at a difficult time on the court. Part of the issues facing the court involve basically funding that will require good relations with the governor and the Legislature. I think I can bring some unique experience to helping the court as it tries to get funding". [5]

Results

Prosser won re-election, defeating challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg by 7,316 votes. [6][7]

Kloppenburg requested a recount due to "widespread anomalies" in the election around the state. The recount began on April 27 and ended on May 20. [8][9]

Results timeline

The Kloppenburg campaign declared victory on April 6, 2011. [10]

Early on April 7, Kloppenburg was ahead by 311 votes, with five precincts still outstanding. Since her lead was only .02% of the total vote, a recount is expected. [11] As votes continued to be collected, her lead lessened to 204 votes.

Later on April 7, Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus revealed that, due to error, she had failed to include 14,315 votes from the city of Brookfield in her unofficial vote tally. With those and some other smaller errors in unofficial vote reports, Prosser gained a 7,582 lead, and a margin that may be large enough that a free recount is no longer available to the candidates. If the percentage between the Prosser and Kloppenburg is 0.5% between and 2%, the party requesting a recount must pay $5 per ward. [12]

To learn more about the recount process in Wisconsin, read: The Morning After: If the results are close, what happens next in Wisconsin?

On April 15 the statewide vote canvass was completed. It showed Prosser as the race's victor, with 7,316 votes over Kloppenburg. A recount may still be requested by the Kloppenburg campaign, which has until April 20, 2011 to make that request. [6] [13]

The Prosser campaign declared victory on April 15 with the following statement:

"Today, the will of the electorate is clear with the last canvas now completed and Justice David Prosser re-elected to another 10 year term to the Supreme Court. Justice Prosser extends his appreciation and respect to Joanne Kloppenburg and her spirited campaign. With certified results in‐hand, Justice Prosser hopes that a shared respect for the judiciary allows the campaign to move to a positive conclusion. Justice Prosser looks forward to thanking the voters of Wisconsin and is expected make a public address in the near‐future."[14]

On April 20 Kloppenburg requested a recount of the votes, citing "widespread anomalies". [8]

On May 20 the results of the recount were announced. Prosser defeated Kloppenburg by 7,006 votes. [9]

Campaign statement

Public financing

Prosser, along with challengers Joel Winnig and JoAnne Kloppenburg, received public financing for their 2011 election campaigns under a recently enacted Wisconsin law. The fourth primary candidate, Marla J. Stephens, declined to seek public financing. [15]

Allegations of partisanship

See also: Non-partisan election of judges

Although judicial elections in Wisconsin are non-partisan, both Prosser and opponent Kloppenburg accused the other of political leanings. Prosser suggested that "There are some people who support my opponent who want the court involved in legislative reapportionment" while Kloppenburg said that "Justice Prosser has sent a clear message that he will favor the agenda of Gov. Walker and the Republican Legislature. I will apply the law to the facts of the cases before me and decide them without prejudice." [16] Prosser contends that he is "not a rubber stamp for the governor". [17]

Endorsements

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorsed Prosser for the primary election [18] and the Wausau Daily Herald endorsed both Prosser and Kloppenburg for the primary. [19]

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also endorsed Prosser for the general election. [20]

Sarah Palin said on her Twitter account: "Wisconsin, please remember to vote for Justice Prosser on April 5.". [21]

Business lobbying organization Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has indicated that they are raising money for ads supporting Prosser in the general election. [22]

An ad paid for by Wisconsin Club for Growth promoting Prosser aired on television prior to the primary vote. [23]

See also: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Ad won't provide extra money for court candidates," February 8, 2011

Investigation over altercation at court

In June 2011, unnamed sources alleged that a physical altercation occurred between Prosser and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley on June 13, 2011. On June 25, Bradley said, "The facts are that I was demanding that he get out of my office and he put his hands around my neck in anger in a chokehold." [24][25]

In a statement regarding the incident, Prossser said, "Once there's a proper review of the matter and the facts surrounding it are made clear, the anonymous claim made to the media will be proven false. Until then I will refrain from further public comment." [24]

The incident was investigated by the Dane County Sheriff's Office and the Wisconsin Judicial Commission. [26] No charges were brought against either party. [27]

Complaint filed

In March 2012, the Wisconsin Judicial Commission recommended that Prosser be disciplined accordingly for his actions in June 2011. In its investigation, the commission found that Prosser violated the Code of Judicial Conduct.

To read the full complaint, visit: Case No. 12AP5665, "In the Matter of Judicial Disciplinary Proceedings Against the Honorable David T. Prosser, Jr.," March 16, 2012

For his part, Justice Prosser says that the charges are "partisan, unreasonable and largely untrue." [28]

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Pierce County Herald, "Friday State News Briefs: Justice Prosser will not hear cases due to poor health," December 2, 2011
  2. ↑ Project Vote Smart, Justice David T. Prosser (WI)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wisconsin Court System, Justice David T. Prosser
  4. ↑ The Washington Examiner, "Unofficial results for Wis. Supreme Court Primary," February 15, 2011
  5. ↑ Post Crescent "Four vie for seat on Wisconsin Supreme Court", February 6, 2011
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wall Street Journal, "Incumbent Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race", April 15, 2011
  7. ↑ Associated Press, "Canvass Shows Conservative Incumbent Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race", April 15, 2011
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Associated Press "Wis. court challenger will seek statewide recount" April 20, 2011
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 The New York Times, "Wisconsin: Recount Favors Conservative Justice," May 20, 2011
  10. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:All Politics Blog, "Kloppenburg declares victory", April 6, 2011
  11. ↑ Bloomberg Business Week, "Split over union law reaches Wis. supreme court race," April 7, 2011
  12. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Corrected Brookfield tally puts Prosser ahead after 7,500-vote gain", April 7, 2011
  13. ↑ Associated Press "Canvass shows conservative wins Wis. court race", April 15, 2011
  14. ↑ Prosser Campaign, Statement Regarding his Election Victory", April 15, 2011
  15. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Three Supreme Court candidates will get public funding", January 13, 2011
  16. ↑ Waukesha Patch, "Supreme Court Candidates Get Political in Waukesha Forum", March 10, 2011
  17. ↑ Beloit Daily News, "David Prosser aims for re-election", March 18, 2011
  18. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "We back Prosser", February 11, 2011
  19. ↑ Wausau Daily Herald, "IN THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS We endorse ...", February 7, 2011
  20. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Prosser a vote for independence", April 2, 2011
  21. ↑ Associated Press, "Palin Endorses Prosser for Supreme Court", April 1, 2011
  22. ↑ Channel 3000, "Business Lobbying Group To Raise Money For Prosser", March 23, 2011
  23. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Supreme Court candidate who refused public support sees campaign fund lag", February 7, 2011
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Justices' feud gets physical," June 25, 2011
  25. ↑ New York Times, "Wisconsin Judge Said to Have Attacked Colleague," June 25, 2011
  26. ↑ PostCrescent.com, "Supreme Court flap between Justice Ann Walsh Bradley and Justice David Prosser leads to investigation," June 28, 2011
  27. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Special prosecutor: No charges for Prosser, Bradley in fracas", August 25, 2011
  28. ↑ ABAJournal, "Ethics Sanction Requested for Wisconsin Justice over B-Word, Neck-Touching Incidents," March 19, 2012
WisconsinWisconsin Supreme CourtWisconsin Court of AppealsWisconsin Circuit CourtsWisconsin Municipal CourtsUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of WisconsinUnited States District Court for the Western District of WisconsinUnited States bankruptcy court, Eastern District of WisconsinUnited States bankruptcy court, Western District of WisconsinUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh CircuitWisconsin countiesWisconsin judicial newsWisconsin judicial electionsJudicial selection in WisconsinWisconsinTemplate.jpg
Retrieved from "http://judgepedia.org/index.php?title=David_T._Prosser&oldid=551712"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Encyclopedia:
Get involved:
Donate
Toolbox