Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee
From Judgepedia
The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee (WJCIC) is a watchdog group created by the State Bar of Wisconsin ostensibly to monitor judicial campaigns and advertising and promote "fair and impartial" courts.
Contents |
Composition
- Thomas J. Basting, Sr. is the President of the State Bar of Wisconsin and a member of Midwest Mediation, LLC in Madison. He is also past chair of the State Bar Litigation Section, and special investigator and counsel to the Wisconsin Judicial Commission. Mr. Basting is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Basting received his B.S. degree from Marquette University in 1959 and his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1962.
- Timothy F. Cullen was Senior Vice President for Corporate & Public Affairs at Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin until his retirement in March 2007. He served on the Janesville City Council from 1970 to 1971 and was an aide to U.S. Congressman Les Aspin from 1971 to 1974. Mr. Cullen served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1975 to 1987 (as Majority Leader from 1982 to 1987). He was Secretary of the state Department of Health and Family Services in 1987 and 1988. He currently serves on the Janesville School Board. Mr. Cullen earned his B.S. Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater in 1966.
- Dennis L. Dresang is a Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He chaired the Political Science Department from 1990 to 1993 and from 1999 to 2001 and was Founding Director of the La Follette Institute of Public Affairs. Dresang was Director of the State of Wisconsin’s Employment Relations Study Commission in 1976 to 1977. He also served on the Editorial Board of Review of Public Personnel Administration since 1987 and as: Vice-Chair, City of Madison and Dane County Committee to Unify Public Health Services, 1998 to 2002; member, Civil Service Commission, Dane County, 1990 to 2001; Vice-Chair, Glass Ceiling Task Force, Dane County, 1994 to 1995; Chair, Task Force on Comparable Worth, State of Wisconsin, 1984 to 86; and many other civic and academic positions. He earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1964, his M.A. from the University of California-Los Angeles in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of California-Los Angeles in 1971.
- Anthony S. Earl is a retired partner in the Madison office of Quarles & Brady LLP. He previously served as 40th Governor of the State of Wisconsin, January 1983 - December 1986; Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, October 1975 – October 1980; Secretary of the Department of Administration, 1975; Member, Wisconsin State Legislature, 1969-74; City Attorney, Wausau, Wisconsin, 1966-1969; and Assistant District Attorney, Marathon County, Wisconsin, 1965. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for various organizations, including American Transmission Company, Center for Clean Air Policy, Friendship Project for Northern Ireland, Inc. and the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development. Mr. Earl received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from the University of Chicago.
- Joseph P. Heim is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Public Administration Program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He is an election and politics commentator for Wisconsin Public Television and other media and serves on the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board and as UW-La Crosse Legislative Liaison. Past appointments include the Wisconsin State Legislative Council Special Committee on Local Government Funding (1999-2000); County of La Crosse Committee on County Board Size Executive Reorganization (1988); and the Government Resources Committee, United Coulee Region (1999 to 2001). He is active in the American Political Science Association, the American Society for Public Administrators, the Wisconsin Political Science Association, the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. Professor Heim earned his M.A. degree in Political Science from Marquette University Graduate School in 1968 and his Ph.D. in Political Science from University of Wisconsin‑Milwaukee in 1976.
- William M. Kraus is a columnist and contributing writer for the Capital Times, Isthmus, WisPolitics and Madison Magazine. He is a frequent panelist and guest on Wisconsin Public Radio and was a panelist on the Wisconsin Public Television Network’s “Weekend” program. Mr. Kraus served as a member of the Kellett Commission on Wisconsin Government in 1965; as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Development from 1982 to 1983; as Assistant to the Governor from 1979 to 1982; as a member of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board from 1979 to 1982; and on the Wisconsin Legislative Council Committee on Campaign Reform in 1993. He has been a consultant to many political campaigns over the years and currently is Co-Chairman of the Common Cause of Wisconsin. He holds LLB degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1946 and a B.S. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1949.
- Neal Nettesheim was Wisconsin’s second-longest sitting judge at the time of his retirement in 2007. He was in private practice from 1966 to 1975, when he became a Waukesha County Judge. He served as a Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge from 1975 to 1983, when he was appointed to the District II of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals by Governor Tony Earl, who also serves on the WJCIC. Judge Nettesheim also served as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals from 1990 – 93. Judge Nettesheim earned his B.A. from Northwestern University in 1963 and his J.D. from Marquette University in 1966.
- Carol T. Toussaint has a record of volunteer, business and public service in Wisconsin and nationally, including membership on the Citizens' Court Association and the Committee for Court Modernization. She has devoted volunteer service to the League of Women Voters, serving as Legislative Chair and President of the Wisconsin League, and Vice President of the LWVUS where she was involved in establishing the Presidential Debates in 1976. She has served on the boards of numerous organizations including the Wisconsin Historical Foundation, Madison Civics Club, Madison Community Foundation, Madison Rotary Club, First Congregational Church Foundation, University Research Park, Ripon College, Madison Cultural Arts District, and the 201 State Foundation. Toussaint earned her B.A. degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin in 1951.
In the News
Board Members Question Committee
Michael J. Morse, member of the State Bar of Wisconsin's Board of Governors, questioned the ability of the Bar to be formally associated with an organization which "polices the speech of state Supreme Court candidates."[1]
Controversy
According to the Wall Street Journal, of the WJCIC's eight members, seven are Democrats, and "either political leaders or donors to Governor Doyle." Three members reportedly have ties to Justice Butler's campaign.[2]
