The Republican majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court thought that they killed the Scott Walker corruption case over the summer, but prosecutors aren’t giving up and are preparing to file an appeal to the US Supreme Court.
According to the Journal-Sentinel:
Three district attorneys have moved to intervene in litigation over a closed investigation into Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign and conservative groups, a move aimed at bringing the case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
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The motion was filed under seal Friday by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm along with two other prosecutors involved in the secret John Doe probe.None of them responded to requests for comment.
At the heart of the matter is that two Republican Wisconsin Supreme Court justices benefited from spending by the same dark money groups that prosecutors believe illegally coordinated with Walker.
The fact that the state justices did not recuse themselves from the case in the summer has given prosecutors their grounds for an appeal to the highest court in the land.
In August, the state supreme court responded to Republican special prosecutor Francis Schmitz’s request to reopen the investigation by removing Schmitz from the case. The state supreme court has done everything possible to kill the investigation.
The current US Supreme Court has signaled an openness towards conflict of interest arguments, so there is a decent chance that if prosecutors have the resources they will be able to offer a decent argument before the US Supreme Court.
The John Doe case illustrates the huge scope of potential dark money corruption in Wisconsin. Scott Walker thought that he and his dark money allies had buried the corruption scandal, but the case may be returning with a vengeance, and the result could be Scott Walker finally facing justice.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
