WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/11/2011) - Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg, who is hoping to replace incumbent Justice David Prosser on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, has become the darling of the anti-Governor Scott Walker movement in the April 5th election. Ads claim Prosser will be a rubber stamp for the Walker agenda, while a website suggests Kloppenburg is Poison.

Democrats, Union members, public employees, and even some voters in Wisconsin who voted for Walker last November, are looking at the possibility of putting Justice Prosser out of a job. The general feeling among Walker dissenters, seems to be that his Budget Repair Bill and removal of Collective Bargaining by state workers recently, is not good for Wisconsin.

Kloppenburg supporters are afraid that Prosser, who has displayed political positions similar to the new Governor, will likely decide in Walker's favor should a case come before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in which Prosser would be required to make a decision on Republican positions taken.

"I highly endorse JoAnne Kloppenburg to be the next Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court," says Attorney Christine Bremer Muggli of Wausau.

Christine Bremer says Kloppenburg is an excellent lawyer, highly regarded for her legal skills, and, that "her high ethical standards, analytical mind and intelligence make her particularly suited for this position."

"Most importantly, Wisconsin needs a jurist who values collegiality so that the work of the Court can be done in a professional atmosphere," says Attorney Christine Bremer Muggli.

Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg has been a litigator and prosecutor at the Wisconsin Department of Justice since 1989, serving under Attorneys General from both parties: Don Hanaway, Jim Doyle, Peg Lautenschlager and JB Van Hollen.

Her legal experience is broad and deep and includes constitutional law, appellate law, civil litigation, environmental prosecution and administrative law. She has argued numerous cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court and in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and she has tried cases in circuit courts around the state.

Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin Law School (1988). She has an undergraduate degree from Yale (1974), also with honors, and a Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University (1976). During Law School, she was an intern for Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and later was a law clerk for Chief Judge Barbara Crabb of the United States District Court.

A teacher at the UW Law School since 1990, she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana (1976-1979) and remains active in professional, civic and community life. She is a member of the Legal Association for Women (LAW), a mentor with the Dane County Bar Association, an English as a Second Language (ESL) tutor, and a member of her neighborhood association board, and has volunteered with various nonprofit groups.

Meanwhile, someone has acquired the domain name joannekloppenburg.com and has peppered the website pages with what appears to be malicious, misleading, disparaging, partisan, and untrue information and statements about Kloppenburg. The anti-Kloppenburg website declares Kloppenburg is "Wrong for Wisconsin", alleges that she is "Owned by Special Interests", and that she doesn't have enough experience to be on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

The anti-Kloppenburg website states it is "in no way endorsed by or created by or paid for by any candidate, candidate employee, special interests, Santa or his reindeer, Mickey Mouse, or the Spaghetti Monster". The contact information for the anti-Kloppenburg site identifies itself only as "Concerned Wisconsin Citizen, Milwaukee, WI, United States.

The REAL Pro-Kloppenburg website is located at http://www.kloppenburgforjustice.com .

JoAnne Kloppenburg has been endorsed by The Wausau Daily Herald of Wausau, Wisconsin. Here are some excerpts from the March 24th editorial:

"We don't know how Justice David Prosser or his challenger, Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg, would rule on the specifics of changes to collective bargaining, or any other policy put forward by Gov. Scott Walker or the Republican Legislature."

"But we do have evidence that Prosser is an intemperate figure given to partisan rhetoric. This is troubling in a justice," the Wausau Daily Herald editorial states.

"There is no way to avoid it: We are deeply troubled by the incident, made public during this campaign, in which Prosser blew up at Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, calling her a "bitch" and threatening to "destroy her," the Daily Herald editorial reads.

"What that indicates is an injudicious personality, plain and simple. It's unacceptable behavior in any circumstance -- and surely it's worst of all in a Supreme Court Justice, whose entire job is to make rational decisions without prejudice," the Daily Herald editorial continues.

"What's worse, Prosser's public statements indicate no ability whatsoever to take responsibility for his own actions. It's a very revealing episode, and frankly there is no defending it," according to what is written in the March 24th Daily Herald editorial.

The Daily Herald editorial continues, giving examples why she would be an ideal choice for voters to place on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in place of David Prosser.

"Lastly, we are troubled by Prosser's decision last year to vote in favor of an ethics rule, written by the Wisconsin Realtors Association, which stated that justices need not recuse themselves from cases involving campaign donors, no matter how large the contribution," the Wausau Daily Herald goes on.

"For the judiciary to have credibility with the public, there must be some sort of recusal standard in place -- sometimes the appearance of a conflict of interest can be as damaging to the court as an actual conflict," the Daily Herald editorial states.

Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg and her husband Jack are the proud parents of two daughters and one son. They live in Madison.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court seat will be filled by the way people vote state-wide, Tuesday, April 5th, 2011.

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