Political Lowe-down: Supreme Court candidate Ed Fallone

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Wisconsin voters head to the polls on Tuesday, April 2nd to elect the next justice of the state's Supreme Court. On Thursday, March 28th, Marquette Law Professor Ed Fallone, who is challenging incumbent Justice Pat Roggensack was a guest of the Milwaukee Press Club. FOX6's Mike Lowe was on the panel, questioning Fallone.

Fallone is running for a 10-year term on Wisconsin's Supreme Court.

The court's reputation has suffered in the wake of a physical altercation between Justice David Prosser and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Fallone's campaign theme is that the court is dysfunctional.

"All he talks about is dysfunction on the court.  Well, the court is not up for election," Roggensack has said.

Mike Lowe: "She essentially said you were running against the entire court, not against her.  She implicitly was saying you're waging a campaign against David Prosser not against her.  Is that a fair accusation?"

"Absolutely not.  I hold all of the justices on our Supreme Court to a standard of professionalism. They are public servants.  They have a job to do.  That job is not to engage in personal feuds with each other. It is to decide individual cases without regard to personal animosity, political ideology," Fallone said.

Fallone would represent a historic first on the court. If elected, he would be the first Latino on the bench -- though he says he would not represent a liberal or conservative vote.

Mike Lowe: "You've written in the past, supporting judges who signed recall petitions. You've been critical of Act 10 and the permitting process at the State Capitol. You may be writing on legal matters, but it could be perceived that you're taking political positions on legal matters.  Is it a contradiction?"

"There's no contradiction whatsoever.  From the very first day of my campaign when another candidate, Vince Megna tried to interject politics into the race, I said that was wrong.  The election is non partisan. Politics don't come into play," Fallone said.

Mike Lowe: "I've heard you describe your judicial philosophy as a process conservative.  Can you describe what that means?"

"It means good procedures don't guarantee a good decision, but they sure help," Fallone said.