Federal judge- Wisconsin Supreme Court righties made up John Doe decision

If you thought John Doe was dead and that the WisGOPs and their right-wing puppetmasters would get away with their money-laundering scheme, today's procedure in Milwaukee's federal court should make you re-think that. I mentioned this case yesterday, where John Doe prosecutors are asking to retain evidence to defend themselves against a lawsuit from Walker lackey Cindy Archer, and in the course of arguments, it appears that the decision ending the investigation may not stand.

The hearing was also a rare opportunity for the public to hear lawyers argue in open court on both sides of what has become a contentious legal battle with broad political implications. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, which decided not to hear oral arguments before making its 4-2 decision last summer, invalidated long-standing Wisconsin rules that campaigns aren't allowed to coordinate with supposedly independent groups that sponsor thinly veiled political ads.


In grilling Archer's lawyers, Adelman, a former Democratic state lawmaker appointed to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton, noted no court had previously held that such unregulated coordination is protected by the First Amendment.

"Is that a new federalist court we have now?" Adelman asked, suggesting the Wisconsin Supreme Court is interpreting the First Amendment more broad than the U.S. Supreme Court.

Translation: Adelman is saying the Wisconsin Supreme Court pulled their "reasoning" in the John Doe case completely out of their ass, and are making it up as they go. And it's pretty clear why- to cover up the money train that involves the organizations that got the "WMC 4 (now 5)" on the Supreme Court, and may well directly involve the campaigns of some of the justices themselves.

This is exactly why SCOTUS must take the John Doe case, to determine if it was OK for the WMC 4 to drive a truck through campaign finance laws, and expand things well beyond the heinous Citizens United decision. And no matter what is decided, it won't make things look good in the eyes of the average voter. Upholding the WMC 4 would make our American electoral system even more secretive and beholden to big money than we thought it was (and don't think the average voter hasn't noticed), but SCOTUS slapping down the WMC 4 will confirm their corruption in the eyes of many casual observers, and open the door for the mountains of money-laundering evidence to be released, and freeing the way for indictments against more WisGOPs.


Keep your eye on this one. With Scalia being dead, there goes one more vote saying "Money is speech," and John Doe would be a very good case for SCOTUS to draw the line to try to head off the people's revolt. I just would like it to be done sooner than later, before another set of Wisconsin elections are bought by these oligarch groups and their puppet politicians who don't have the guts to speak up for themselves, and choose to hide from the voters who they are and what they really want to do.