MADISON-Justice Daniel Kelly clearly demonstrated during today’s Wisconsin State Bar debate that he has the right constitutional conservative philosophy, knowledge, and respect for the law and constitution, as well as the right judicial temperament to be the next Wisconsin supreme Court Justice.
While Janet “Politician” Protasiewicz could only repeat her hollow claim that she is fair and impartial, Justice Kelly was able to highlight her soft-on-crime record as revealed by her habit of sentencing serious criminals to very little or no time in jail.
Justice Kelly continued to highlight his record of resolving cases solely according to the legal texts (whether constitutional provisions, statutes, regulations, or common law) without regard to personal values or politics. All of Justice Kelly’s judicial opinions are available on the internet, and he invites everyone interested in the proper role of the judiciary to review them so that they may grow confident that justice can be done in our courts.
Protasiewicz, however, campaigns entirely on her personal politics, which tells us everything we need to know about how she would act as a justice if she were to be elected. Her debate performance confirms that she would put her personal politics over the law when the two conflict.
Judicial campaigns should focus on the work of the court — which is why Justice Kelly discusses the constitution, the rule of law, judicial philosophy, and the characteristics of a good jurist. Politician Protasiewicz, however, spends all of her time and resources talking about her personal politics and telling sloppy lies about Justice Kelly.
As Justice Kelly said in the debate, “Confidence in the work of the court comes from a sure and certain knowledge that everything we do is concentrated on the law without regard to personal values or personal politics.”
The rule of law must prevail on the court. Not the Rule of Janet.
