Wisconsin Supreme Court looks into campaign-related recusal rules

Following a string of multimillion dollar judicial elections, a group of retired judges wants the Wisconsin Supreme Court to tighten recusal rules in cases where judges or justices receive campaign donations from litigants.

The judges say the current recusal rules are “broken,” and while the court’s former conservative majority rejected attempts to change them, there’s hope the current liberal majority will consider it.

In recent years, Wisconsin Supreme Court races have become more partisan and far more expensive. At the same time, more litigants in politically-charged cases have asked justices to recuse themselves from proceedings because of comments and political donations from the campaign trail. For the most part, those justices have declined the invitations.

Currently, it’s up to justices and judges themselves to decide whether to step aside from cases under the recusal rule, which was enacted by the Supreme Court’s former conservative majority in 2010.



https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-supreme-court-campaign-related-recusal-rules