{"id":2035641,"date":"2023-09-18T03:15:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T07:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-double-standard-on-judicial-impartiality-is-obvious-from-wisconsin-to-washington\/"},"modified":"2023-09-18T03:18:46","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T07:18:46","slug":"democrats-double-standard-on-judicial-impartiality-is-obvious-from-wisconsin-to-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-double-standard-on-judicial-impartiality-is-obvious-from-wisconsin-to-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats&#8217; hypocrisy on judicial impartiality is evident from Wisconsin to Washington."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-double-standard-on-judicial-impartiality-is-obvious-from-wisconsin-to-washington%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2035641&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>The Importance of Impartiality in the \u200cJustice System<\/h2>\n<p>The statues of Lady Justice that stand outside courthouses across the country show her blindfolded for a reason: They represent the fundamental commitment of \u2063our justice system\u2063 to fair, impartial judges. That concept \u200cis not only an aspiration, but \u200da constitutional guarantee: Inherent in the 14th Amendment\u2019s promise of \u201cdue \u200cprocess of law\u201d is the principle that judges\u200d who hear cases at all levels will be fair, unbiased, and\u2064 open-minded as \u200bto the litigants and issues before them.<\/p>\n<p>That promise is being put to the\u200b test in my home state of Wisconsin, where newly elected Justice Janet \u200cProtasiewicz is currently considering \u200ba motion to recuse from a case involving \u2062the state\u2019s legislative districts. Wisconsin elects its judges, and during the campaign last spring then-Judge Protasiewicz went further than \u2063any previous candidate in announcing her views on the campaign trail. Although the\u200b maps were approved \u200b17 months \u2064ago\u200d by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the law has not changed, Judge\u2062 Protasiewicz called the maps\u2064 \u201cgerrymandered,\u201d \u201crigged,\u201d\u2062 \u201cunfair,\u201d and \u201cwrong,\u201d going so far as to say that \u201canybody with any \u2064sense knows our maps are \u200drigged.\u201d \u200bShe\u200b said it multiple\u200b times, in multiple places, with intention. She knew the issue would\u2063 motivate Democrat voters to turn\u200c out, and she played that card boldly, deciding to prioritize electoral\u200d success over\u2064 ethical expectations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1336071401\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c26ae928c47c604a5497625b116fa09b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c26ae928c47c604a5497625b116fa09b\"><\/div>\n<p>What is \u2063more, \u200cthe Democratic Party of Wisconsin also heard her aggressive rhetoric loud and clear. The party,\u200d which can take unlimited funds into its coffers and make\u200c unlimited transfers to candidates, ultimately gave almost $10 million to her \u200ccampaign in direct \u200bdonations.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately following her election last April, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-condemns-d-c-demonstrators-despite-past-encouragement-of-violent-blm-mobs\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris condemns D.C. demonstrators despite past encouragement of violent BLM mobs\">left-wing activists<\/a> \u200bin Wisconsin promised a petition \u200dto revisit\u2064 the maps. But \u200dthey did not file their lawsuit right away \u2014\u200b they waited\u2062 several months during the lame-duck tenure \u2064of\u200c the prior justice and\u200d then filed their petition demanding immediate\u2064 action the day after Justice Protasiewicz was sworn in. Their contrived timeline is the definition of judge-shopping.<\/p>\n<p>Now that the case is pending,\u2063 some in Wisconsin want to rush into a debate about impeachment and misconduct in office, but that puts \u200dthe \u2064cart before the horse. The first step is simple and obvious: Protasiewicz should recuse from the case. Her campaign activities may have been protected by the First Amendment, but that does not mean \u200cher sitting\u2063 on the case \u200ddoes not violate the due-process guarantee of\u2063 the 14th Amendment.<\/p>\n<p>As Justice Ann\u200d Walsh Bradley, leader of the liberal block \u2062on the court, <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar_case?case=7945375854268698583\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> in 2015, \u201cA fundamental principle of our democracy is that judges must be perceived\u2062 as beyond price.\u201d As \u200ba result, \u201cthe right to an impartial decisionmaker stretches beyond the absence of actual bias to encompass the appearance of bias as well.\u201d In this instance, Protasiewicz\u2019s repeated, intentional \u200dcomments communicating her views about this particular case <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar_case?case=3335201542215882654&#038;q=%2522a+reasonable+person+could+question+the+judge%2527s+impartiality.%2522&#038;hl=en&#038;as_sdt=4,50\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mean<\/a> \u201ca reasonable person could question the judge\u2019s impartiality.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-017e606abe6277afc7c0110b87820eeb fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-017e606abe6277afc7c0110b87820eeb\"><\/div>\n<p>Of course, Democrats in Wisconsin, having sunk millions into her campaign, are loath to see her recuse from the case.\u200d The irony is that while Wisconsin Democrats \u2062are\u2064 proclaiming to the high heavens the importance of a full bench \u2064and the priority of her free speech rights, Democrats in D.C. are trying to \u200cget Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself because he gave a news interview to \u200ban attorney who moonlights as a journalist, and\u2063 that lawyer is now on one of the cases \u200cpending at the U.S.\u200b Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>Ten Democrat\u2064 senators who sit\u2063 on the Senate Judiciary Committee signed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.judiciary.senate.gov\/press\/releases\/durbin-judiciary-committee-dems-urge-chief-justice-to-address-justice-alitos-wall-street-journal-interview-that-violates-the-courts-statement-on-ethics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">joint letter<\/a> saying anything \u2063short of recusal by Alito would cause \u201cdamage to public confidence in the\u2063 Court.\u201d Alito filed a short <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/22pdf\/22-800_1an2.pdf\">opinion<\/a> explaining the long tradition of justices sitting on cases involving news outlets\u2062 to whom they had also given interviews, but the broader point remains the\u2063 disconnect between D.C. Democrats, who \u200care insisting on \u200cartificial adherence to newly elevated ethical standards, and Wisconsin Democrats, who are \u200bready to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-double-standard-on-judicial-impartiality-is-obvious-from-wisconsin-to-washington\/\" title=\"Democrats' hypocrisy on judicial impartiality is evident from Wisconsin to Washington.\">steamroll long-standing ethics expectations<\/a> on their\u200b way to additional legislative seats.<\/p>\n<p>True justice\u2062 is \u200dnecessarily impartial, neutral, and detached. Impartiality means the absence of\u2063 bias or prejudice. It means maintaining an open mind. And it means not only the substance of impartiality but also the\u2064 appearance of it, to ensure public\u200b confidence in our courts. Because that is not present here, the right thing to do is for Justice \u200cProtasiewicz to step aside in this case.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5c13f1bc9200abfb244d3391583d909d fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5c13f1bc9200abfb244d3391583d909d\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How does a judge&#8217;s \u2063public statements expressing \u200da strong opinion\u2062 about a case affect the public&#8217;s trust \u2063in their \u2064fairness and impartiality?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Gn, are crying foul and claiming that any motion to recuse \u200bis merely a political\u2062 ploy. But this is about\u2064 more than politics. It is \u2062about the integrity of \u2063our justice system\u200b and the public&#8217;s confidence in it. Without \u200cimpartial judges, the rule of law crumbles and justice becomes arbitrary and unreliable.<\/p>\n<p>Judges must not only be impartial, but they must\u2063 also be seen as impartial. It is\u2064 not\u200b enough for a judge to truly believe they can set aside their \u200bpersonal biases and decide a\u2062 case based solely on the law and the facts. They must\u200d also \u200cavoid creating even the appearance of bias. This is\u200c not a new concept; it is\u2063 a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/another-international-sport-bans-biologically-male-trans-athletes-from-competing-against-women\/\" title=\"Another International Sport Bans Biologically Male Trans Athletes From Competing Against Women\">long-standing principle<\/a> of our legal system.<\/p>\n<p>When a judge makes public statements expressing a strong opinion \u200cabout a case they\u200b are\u200b assigned to hear, it raises legitimate concerns about their ability to approach \u200cthe case with \u2062an \u2064open mind. It undermines the public&#8217;s trust in their fairness and impartiality. And\u2064 it sets \u200ba \u200cdangerous precedent that allows judges to pick and choose \u200cwhich \u2063cases they want to\u2064 handle \u200cbased on their personal beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Protasiewicz&#8217;s comments \u200dclearly demonstrate\u200b her bias and lack of objectivity in this particular case. She has publicly declared that she believes the legislative\u200c districts in question\u200b are gerrymandered \u2063and unfair. This kind of \u2063prejudgment is not only inappropriate but also \u200bundermines the integrity of the judicial process.<\/p>\n<p>Recusing from this case is\u200b not an admission of guilt \u2062or wrongdoing; \u200bit is \u2063a necessary step to protect the integrity of the justice system. It ensures that the litigants before \u200cthe\u200d court have a fair and unbiased tribunal.\u2062 It safeguards the reputation\u2064 of\u200b the judiciary and maintains public confidence in \u200bits\u200d ability to\u2064 deliver \u200djustice.<\/p>\n<p>Some may argue that \u200djudges are \u2063entitled to their own opinions and should not be punished for expressing them. \u2062While this is true to\u200d some extent, judges also have a responsibility to uphold the principles of fairness \u200band impartiality that are essential to our justice system. When \u200ca \u200djudge goes beyond\u200b expressing a personal opinion and actively\u200b campaigns against a legal decision, it \u200draises serious doubts \u2064about their ability to fulfill that responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, \u2064the importance of impartiality in\u2064 the justice \u200bsystem cannot be \u2063overstated. It is the cornerstone of our legal system and \u200dthe foundation upon \u200dwhich justice is built. Without it, the rule of \u2064law is undermined, and the rights and \u2063liberties of individuals are at risk. Justice Protasiewicz \u200dshould recognize the significance of impartiality\u2063 and recuse herself from this case.\u2064 It \u2062is not \u2063only the right thing to do; it\u2064 is\u2063 essential to preserving the integrity of our justice system.<\/p>\n<p>Only \u2062by upholding the\u200b principles of fairness and impartiality can we ensure that justice is blind and that all individuals are treated equally under the law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>symbolic representation of blind justice. This signifies the crucial principle of our legal system, ensuring unbiased judges. It is not just an ideal, but a constitutional assurance. The 14th Amendment&#8217;s &#8220;due process of law&#8221; encompasses this concept, emphasizing the importance of impartiality in our pursuit of justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2424,"featured_media":2035642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2035641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2424"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2035641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2035642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2035641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2035641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2035641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}