Big Win for Reform

Email date: 3/23/10

In this update:
1. State Government Accountability Board votes to close “issue ad” loophole
2. Relations go from bad to worse on state high court

GAB votes to close “issue ad” loophole
The state Government Accountability Board voted unanimously today to put an end to secret electioneering by special interests done under the guise of phony “issue advocacy,” a reform the Democracy Campaign has been seeking for years. To read WDC’s statement on today’s action, go here.

The GAB also directed its staff to develop new rules creating registration, reporting and advertising disclaimer requirements for corporate election spending, another step toward repairing the damage done by the U.S. Supreme Court in the area of election financing with its January 21 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Democracy Campaign director Mike McCabe appeared before the board this morning to speak in favor of both initiatives.

Relations go from bad to worse on state high court
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this morning on the latest development in the judicial misconduct case against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. This new evidence of tension between members of the state high court comes as no surprise to avid court watchers, but is nonetheless unsettling.