Arr! The former Wisconsin Supreme Court matey be walkin' the plank, his lawsuit dismissed after handin' o'er records!
2023-12-19
Avast ye hearties! The lawsuit against the mighty Patience Roggensack, former Chief Justice of Wisconsin's Supreme Court, be thrown overboard! All the records be surrendered as demanded, settlin' the dispute on the open seas of justice! Arrr!
In a comical and exaggerated 17th-century pirate language, it can be summarized as follows:Arr mateys! A lawsuit bein' brought against former Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack has been dismissed, ye scurvy dogs! It all started when Roggensack had to hand over all her records linked to her investigation into the impeachment of a sittin' justice, aye! But here be the jest of it, me hearties: none of them records shed any light on the advice she be givin' to Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos about impeachment. The scallywag Vos himself has kept his trap shut about what she told him, arr!
Now, two other former justices, David Prosser and Jon Wilcox, weighed in on the matter and advised against impeachment, me buckos! A group of landlubbers called American Oversight sued Vos, Prosser, Wilcox, and Roggensack, demandin' all the records about the possible impeachment. They even accused the former justices of breakin' the state's open meetings law, arr!
But fear not, mateys, for Judge Frank Remington dismissed the open meetings allegation, sayin' it was premature, and the district attorney, Ismael Ozanne, decided not to bring charges, aye! The open records claim against Prosser and Wilcox was also dismissed after they produced their records. Roggensack had 30 days to produce her records, and on December 8, she claimed she had nothin' more to show. Her attorney confirmed it in court as well, me hearties!
So American Oversight's attorney agreed to drop the case against Roggensack, and the judge dismissed it, arr! But hold fast, me mateys, for the open records claim against Vos still be standin'. His attorney claims he already produced all his records, but a status hearin' be set for January 25, aye!
Vos was thinkin' of impeachin' Justice Janet Protasiewicz, but he got advice against it from these former justices, arr! Now he be sayin' he might still go for impeachment if she don't rule in favor of the current Republican-drawn maps, claimin' she's pre-judged, arr! The Wisconsin Constitution be sayin' impeachment be for "corrupt conduct in office, or for crimes and misdemeanors," me hearties!
The redistrictin' case be heard in November, and the court be expectin' to issue a ruling soon, aye! So keep yer eyes peeled, me mateys, for there be more to this tale of legal shenanigans in the land of Wisconsin!