The seven Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court really don’t agree about anything. Besides politics and high-profile decisions, it has now emerged that after an incident that has liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley accusing conservative Justice David Prosser of putting her in a chokehold, they didn’t even agree about whether to meet quickly with the Capitol Police — or proceed to a group photo session first.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel obtained e-mails through an open-records request of Prosser’s office, showing that Bradley e-mailed the other judges about having a meeting with Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs on “workplace security.”
At which point, conservative Justice Patience Roggensack — who reportedly separated Prosser and Bradley during their altercation — wrote back asking what problems with security there could be, and that she had “never felt unsafe.” Thus, she said the pre-scheduled photo session should go ahead first, and then they could meet with Chief Tubbs afterward.
Ultimately, Justice N. Patrick Crooks — a moderate who has become publicly identified with the liberal minority, and was reportedly the only justice who was not a witness or participant in the incident — insisted that the meeting with Chief Tubbs be held first, and then the photo session could follow.
The Journal Sentinel reports:
Justice Patience Roggensack, the justice whom anonymous sources have said separated Prosser and Bradley, questioned the proposed change in plans.
“What is the need for the meeting with Chief Tubbs? Have you had problems with security?” she wrote.
Bradley responded with only a terse “yes.” Roggensack initially wrote back that with the Capitol Police in the building she had “never felt unsafe.” Then she wrote that one of her staff had already set up the photo session and that it shouldn’t be rescheduled.
“The time and date was set quite a while ago. I suggest we stick to the schedule that had been agreed upon,” Roggensack wrote. “We can do the Chief Tubbs visit at 9:00.”
