Keep dark money out of Wisconsin Supreme Court race

If history is any guide, we can expect to be bombarded by negative ads in the upcoming race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Since 2007, outside interest groups have spent more than $13 million on issue ads supporting candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. More of this dark money will be spent in the upcoming race for a seat on Wisconsin’s highest court when Rebecaa Bradley, Joe Donald and JoAnne Kloppenburg square off in the February election. While the race for the Supreme Court is technically non-partisan, outside interest groups are again opening their wallets and preparing the nasty attack ads. Unfortunately, all this money seems to be having the desired effect. Each of the winners in the last six Wisconsin Supreme Court races have been those who received the most money from outside interest groups. In short, they are buying the election. All this money has no place in the race for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. It just isn’t very judge-like for candidates to attack each other with misleading ads and half-truths. Let’s keep the big money out of judicial races in Wisconsin, and let the candidates simply run on their records and their ideals. Because the best candidate isn’t always the one who donors determine should get the job.