A previous post, Order in the Court! Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Accused of Choking A Colleague, reported the disturbing allegations that Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser had choked one of his colleagues, Justice Ann Bradley, in her office. Turns out, that's not the half of it.
Since the choking in June 2011, a judicial misconduct complaint was filed and an investigation conducted. Justice Prosser has requested that all of his colleagues be recused from considering the case. Justice Bradley, the victim of the choking, has agreed to recuse herself and issued a memo with her decision containing even more disturbing and shocking details:
- "what happened in my office on June 13, 2011 is not an isolated event. Rather, it is one event in a history of abusive behavior in our workplace that has escalated from tantrums and rages, to threats, and now to physical contact. (See Justice Patrick Crooks' statement to Dane County detectives describing the work environment history generally, pages 57-59)."
- "When Justice Prosser's behavior escalated to threats, I sent an email on February 18,2010, advising the other justices that 'a necessary step to address [our] dysfunction is to end these abusive temper tantrums.'"
- "In late March 2011—two months before the incident in my office—it appeared to me and others that Justice Prosser's behavior was becoming increasingly agitated. One newspapereditorial characterized his comments as "odd," "troubling" and "unsettling." A then, but now retired, Deputy Director of State Courts contacted me to warn of her concern that Justice Prosser may endanger my physical safety as well as that of the Chief Justice."
- "A plan was devised by law enforcement for enhanced security due to concerns that Justice Prosser's behavior posed a threat to our physical safety. Because the danger came from the inside and not the outside, the locked entry doors that limit public access to the area of the supreme court offices were not a sufficient protection. Both the Chief Justice and I were advised to take steps for personal security, including locking ourselves inside our personal offices when working alone at nights and on weekends."
- "Additionally, both of us were given as emergency contacts the personal cell, work cell, squad cell, and home phone numbers of Capitol Chief of Police Tubbs as well as the regular Capitol Police office numbers. The Chief Justice was advised to notify Capitol Police when she was coming to the office after hours to work and advised to notify them and, upon request, be accompanied when she left late at night. We were told that law enforcement would patrol the area with greater frequency."
This is mind-boggling: state Supreme Court justices taking precautionary measures, equipped with emergency law enforcement phone numbers because of fears and concerns that a colleague -- himself a state Supreme Court justice -- would physically harm them. Rough justice, indeed.
You can read Justice Ann Bradley's recusal memo.
