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Last week Annette Ziegler sat at a public hearing of her conflicts scandal while her attorney admitted that she "made a mistake." He implied that she actually has learned a lesson from the "mistake" and that was part of the reason that she should not receive strong disciplinary action for her repeated violations. Any idea that Justice Ziegler has learned anything at all from her conflicts scandal is shattered by her decision to participate tomorrow in a case before the State Supreme Court.
The case is the result of a tax dispute between the state and Neenah-based Menasha Corporation. According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's database, the former CEO and board member of the company gave campaign cash to Ziegler earlier this year. Further, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has been very vocal in support of Menasha Corporation and against the State of Wisconsin. They have gone so far as to file a legal brief in the matter. How could anyone forget the major role that WMC played while Ziegler was running for the high court? They spent an unprecedented $2 million-plus to get Ziegler elected! That was almost as much as both campaigns combined, and it was enough to drown out new of her ethical problems!
WMC's agenda seems very clear to even a casual observer. They essentially are trying to buy off our judicial system from all angles. They "invested" a ton of cash into Ziegler and no doubt expect her to be on this case and to be their rubber stamp. They also "invested" major dollars into the campaign of State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, who now stands mute and has not asked Ziegler to recuse herself in tomorrow's case. It is his job to represent the State of Wisconsin in this case, yet he is not acting in the State's best interests by remaining silent. Who is he really working for? Who is he really representing?
The limitless supply of corporate cash is really showing the negative impact that it has on some elected officials. Justice Ziegler is in the middle of an ethics scandal and faces serious discipline, yet she seems willing to sit on this case in which she has very clear conflicts. She has recused herself from other cases when they involved campaign contributors so why not now when it involves entities that have given her (or spent on her behalf) so much more money? If Justice Ziegler goes through with hearing tomorrow's case, her attorney's words to the judicial panel will ring much more hollow. Is she serious about avoiding conflicts of interest? We will find out when she either sits on the case or recuses herself tomorrow.
There is not much time, but we are asking for people to sign our online petition, demanding that Justice Ziegler to the right thing and recuse herself from this case. Please sign this petition today and don't forget to pass it on to your friends!
