Here & Now

Former Justice Janine Geske On Rebecca Bradley Appointment

SCOTT WALKER:

WELL, I THINK SHE’S THE BEST PERSON TO BE ON THE SUPREME COURT TODAY, AND I BELIEVE NEXT APRIL SHE’LL BE THE BEST PERSON TO BE ON THE SUPREME COURT.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER HAS APPOINTED APPEALS COURT JUDGE REBECCA BRADLEY TO THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT. GOOD EVENING. I’M ZAC SCHULTZ FILLING IN FOR FREDERICA FREYBERG. TONIGHT ON “HERE AND NOW,” WE’LL HEAR FROM TWO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ON THE TRANSPACIFIC TRADE AGREEMENT AND WHETHER IT’S GOOD FOR WISCONSIN. THEN WE’LL LOOK AT A BILL THAT WOULD ELIMINATE WISCONSIN’S GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD. BUT FIRST REBECCA BRADLEY SAYS SHE HAS THE ABILITY TO BRING COLLEGIALITY TO THE HIGH COURT.

REBECCA BRADLEY:

I’M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD, AS I SAID, TO WORKING WITH EACH OF MY FELLOW COLLEAGUES ON THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT. I’VE ENJOYED MY JUDICIAL TENURE AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET ALONG VERY WELL WITH MY COLLEAGUES ON THE CIRCUIT COURT BENCH AND ON THE COURT OF APPEALS AND I EXPECT TO HAVE THE SAME POSITIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OF MY NEW COLLEAGUES.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

FOR REACTION TO THE NEWEST STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, WE TURN TO A FORMER JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT HERSELF, JANINE GESKE, WHO JOINS US FROM MILWAUKEE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

JANINE GESKE:

IT’S MY PLEASURE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

REBECCA BRADLEY HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO THE CIRCUIT COURT, APPEALS COURT AND SUPREME COURT BY SCOTT WALKER. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR HER ABILITY TO REMAIN IMPARTIAL?

JANINE GESKE:

WELL, SHE TAKES AN OATH EACH TIME TO REMAIN IMPARTIAL AND IT’S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT THAT SHE DO THAT. THE VOTERS WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE HOW SHE DOES THESE FIRST FEW MONTHS SHE’S ON THE COURT AS SHE RUNS NEXT APRIL. AND IT’S ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT SHE NOT ALIGN HERSELF WITH ANYBODY TOO MUCH IDEOLOGICALLY. I’M HOPEFUL THAT SHE IN FACT LIVES UP TO THAT OATH AND IN FACT DOES DECIDE CASES AS SHE SEES THEM AND NOT WITH ALIGNMENT WITH ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER, PARTICULARLY WITH THE CONSERVATIVES WHO ARE BACKING HER AT THIS POINT.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

SHE HASN’T BEEN A JUDGE VERY LONG. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HER AS A JUDGE?

JANINE GESKE:

SHE’S GOT EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE AS A LITIGATOR AND LAWYER. HER TENURE AS A JUDGE HAS BEEN RELATIVELY SHORT. SHE’S BEEN IN CHILDREN’S COURT IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY. SHE’S ONLY BEEN ON THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR A FEW MONTHS. THE DECISIONS SHE’S HAD TO MAKE ARE SORT OF THE PRAGMATIC ONES THAT TRIAL JUDGES DO DAY TO DAY. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO PREDICT HER IDEOLOGY BY THOSE DECISIONS. WE’LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SHE STARTS ON THE SUPREME COURT ON MONDAY.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR DYSFUNCTION FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW. SHE TALKS ABOUT COLLEGIALITY. HOW CAN SHE BRING THAT? AND IS SHE THE RIGHT PERSON, BEING APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR WALKER, TO BRING THAT?

JANINE GESKE:

WELL, I DON’T KNOW JUDGE BRADLEY VERY WELL, BUT WHAT PEOPLE TELL ME IS THAT SHE IS VERY FRIENDLY AND GETS ALONG WITH PEOPLE WELL, WHICH WILL BE GOOD. IT WILL DEPEND A LITTLE BIT THE DYNAMICS. IT’S KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOU BRING A NEW IN-LAW INTO A FAMILY. YOU DON’T QUITE KNOW HOW IT’S GOING TO WORK. EVERYBODY HAS TO READJUST A LITTLE BIT. I’M ALWAYS HOPING THAT THAT COURT BECOMES MORE COLLEGIAL AND ARE ABLE TO GET ALONG AND I HOPE THE IDEOLOGICAL LINES CAN SOFTEN A LITTLE BIT SO THE COURT CAN DECIDE THEM HOW THEY SEE THEM AND NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE SUPPORTED BY ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER IN AN ELECTION.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, YOU HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH REBECCA BRADLEY IN THAT YOU WERE APPOINTED AND THEN ELECTED TO THE COURT. WHAT IS THE VALUE FOR HER TO BE ABLE TO RUN NEXT SPRING AS JUSTICE REBECCA BRADLEY?

JANINE GESKE:

WELL, IT’S A BIG ADVANTAGE. THE DIFFERENCE IS I WAS NOT RUNNING FOR THE COURT WHEN I WAS APPOINTED AND I WOULD NOT HAVE RUN FOR THE OPEN SEAT. BUT WHEN YOU RUN AS A JUSTICE, IT IS A BIG ADVANTAGE. YOU’RE RUNNING ALMOST AS AN INCUMBENT AND IT’S RETAIN JUSTICE BRADLEY. THE THING THAT SHE HAS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT IS ALL THOSE APPOINTMENTS BY THE GOVERNOR AND THE FACT THAT HE HAS SOME POLL PROBLEMS AT THE MOMENT AND WHETHER OR NOT THAT TAGS HER AND CREATES SOME DIFFICULTIES IN HER REELECTION. AND THAT WE’LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WILL VOTERS FORGET THAT SHE WAS APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR WALKER BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT SPRING?

JANINE GESKE:

THEY’RE NOT GOING TO FORGET IT BECAUSE I’M SURE THE OTHER CANDIDATES WILL REMIND THE VOTERS EVERY CHANCE THEY GET. AND THERE ARE THREE EXCELLENT CANDIDATES ANNOUNCING, I THINK A FOURTH MAY ANNOUNCE, SO THERE MAY IN FACT BE FOUR VERY QUALIFIED LAWYERS RUNNING FOR THE POSITION. AND I SUSPECT WE’LL HAVE A LIVELY ELECTION, A PRIMARY IN FEBRUARY AND ELECTION IN APRIL.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ALL RIGHT. WELL, WE CHECK IN WITH YOU ON THOSE ELECTIONS COMING UP. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

JANINE GESKE:

MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU.