MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Latest on Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman not running for re-election (all times local):
12:30 p.m.
A spokesman for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman says it’s his “understanding” that he will finish his term and not leave early.
Gableman spokesman Nathan Conrad made the comment Thursday after Gableman announced he would not be seeking re-election next year. If Gableman resigns before the April election, that would allow Republican Gov. Scott Walker to name a replacement who could then run as the incumbent.
There has not been a Supreme Court race without an incumbent since 2007.
Conrad says Gableman is not running again because “he feels he has done everything on the court that he set out to do.”
Gableman was lead author on opinions upholding the Act 10 law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers.
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12:01 p.m.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman says he won’t run for re-election next year, but he’s not saying if he will fill out his entire term or resign early.
Gableman issued a statement Thursday saying he made his decision “with a heart filled with gratitude to the people of the great state of Wisconsin.”
Two other more liberal candidates than the conservative Gableman have already announced their plans to run for the seat that’s up in April. They are Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet and Madison attorney Tim Burns.
If Gableman quits before the election, Republican Gov. Scott Walker could name a replacement.
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11:45 a.m.
A vocal liberal critic of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is apologizing for tweeting that the departure of Justice Michael Gableman “will leave an ample white sheet to fill.”
One Wisconsin Now director Scot Ross commented Thursday via Twitter on Gableman’s decision not to seek a second term. Ross tweeted less than an hour later “I apologize for poor word choice, but I do not regret pointing out Mike Gableman ran the most racist ad in the history of Wisconsin politics.”
Gableman defeated Justice Louis Butler, who is black, in 2008. The ad Ross cites showed a picture of Butler next to the face of a black rapist Butler had represented years earlier.
Republican state Rep. Adam Jarchow responded on Twitter, calling Ross’s insinuation “beyond disgusting.”
Gableman did not return messages seeking comment.
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11 a.m.
A vocal liberal critic of the Wisconsin Supreme Court says the departure of Justice Michael Gableman “will leave an ample white sheet to fill.”
One Wisconsin Now director Scot Ross commented via Twitter on Gableman’s decision not to seek a second term. Ross says he’s not suggesting Gableman is in the Ku Klux Klan, but in a follow-up statement he says Gableman ran “the most racist ad in the history of Wisconsin politics” during his 2008 campaign.
Gableman defeated Justice Louis Butler, who is black, that year. The ad Ross cites showed a picture of Butler next to the face of a black rapist Butler had represented years earlier.
Republican state Rep. Adam Jarchow responded on Twitter, calling Ross’s insinuation “beyond disgusting.”
Gableman did not return messages seeking comment.
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10:45 a.m.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman’s decision not to seek a second term leaves two announced candidates for the seat.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet and Madison attorney Tim Burns had been pitching themselves as more moderate or liberal alternatives to Gableman. A person with direct knowledge of Gableman’s decision but who was not authorized to speak publicly about it told The Associated Press on Thursday he was not running again.
Burns reacted to the news on Twitter, saying “For too long, the conservative majority” of the Supreme Court has been “looking out for the special interests.”
Dallet says she is running for the court because it is “out of balance” and voters will see the need for “experience and impartiality.”
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9:40 a.m.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman will not seek a second term next year.
A person with direct knowledge of his decision but who was not authorized to speak publicly about it told The Associated Press of Gableman’s decision Thursday.
Gableman did not immediately respond to messages.
Gableman was up for re-election in April. It’s not known if he will resign or finish his term, which runs until August 2018.
He is part of a five-justice conservative majority and was lead author on the opinion that upheld Walker’s law effectively ending collective bargaining for public workers known as Act 10.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet and Madison attorney Tim Burns are running for the court. They are pitching themselves as more moderate or liberal alternatives to Gableman.
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