Keep declared candidates off Supreme Court

There has been much discord among members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. And Governor Scott Walker may be about to make it worse. Walker is considering appointing someone to fill the current vacancy on the state’s highest court. That is because of the untimely passing of former Supreme Court Justice Patrick Crooks, who died in office just two days announcing he would be retiring next year. Leaving that post unfilled until July would be a mistake, so Walker is likely to appoint someone to fill Crook’s seat. But Walker seems to be leaning toward appointing one of the three candidates who were already seeking Crooks seat. Rebecca Bradley is running for Crook’s job full-time, as are Joe Donald and Joanne Kloppenburg. Selecting an interim justice who is also running for the job full-time is a bad idea. That makes it more of a coronation, and clearly would give Bradley the inside position for the job. The Governor should appoint someone other than the declared candidates if the position is to be filled temporarily, and that person should pledge to step down once the next election is held. We shouldn’t allow a seat on Wisconsin’s highest court to be handed out as a political thank you.