Investigation Of Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman Needed Over Ethics Violation

Here we go again.

There seems to be no end to the controversy that continually surrounds Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman.  From his unseemly campaign for election, to his conduct once on the bench one has to seriously ask why merit selection is not already in place for the court.  There is a better way to place qualified justices on the bench so not to have to deal with the likes of Justice Gableman.

The latest news of ethical problems for Gableman is due to free legal services he received when fighting back against–you got it–ethics charges.

Now he is needing to answer a whole new series of questions and concerns about his conduct while serving on the court and receiving thousands of dollars of free legal services from a major law firm that does business before the court.

It is these types of issues that undermine the faith citizens need to have in the judicial system, and especially at the highest level in the state.  There is no room for skimming by half, and thinking that is good enough.

Enough of the antics from Michael Gableman.  Lets get to the bottom of this latest mess concerning his ethical problems, and then move on with serious reflections about the wisdom of merit selection for the high court.

State Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman received free legal service worth thousands of dollars from one of Wisconsin’s largest law firms as it defended him against an ethics charge, according to a letter released Thursday by the firm.

The state’s ethics code says state officials cannot receive anything of value for free because of their position. And a separate ethics code specifically for judges says they cannot accept gifts from anyone who is likely to appear before them.

A former state ethics official on Thursday said authorities should thoroughly investigate how the deal between Gableman and attorney Eric McLeod of Michael Best & Friedrich worked because Gableman did not end up paying any attorneys fees.

“It seems to me that they have to investigate all the facts, and if the investigation discloses (McLeod) gave as a gift to Gableman counsel services, that is a problem,” said Gordon Myse, a former member of the Government Accountability Board.

The accountability board oversees the state’s general ethics code. Myse said the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, which enforces the judicial ethics code, should also look into the matter.