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Butler begins campaign

By: dmc-admin//June 11, 2007//

Butler begins campaign

By: dmc-admin//June 11, 2007//

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Justice Louis B. Butler Jr. who was appointed to the state’s high court in 2004, has launched his election campaign to retain his seat on the bench. So far, no challengers have emerged in the 2008 spring race.

Having the last word was one of the more dubious features of the 2007 spring election for State Supreme Court.

Current Justice Louis B. Butler Jr. is getting the first word out as his 2008 election campaign has begun to take shape. Butler hired several full and part-time staff members to maintain his official campaign committee, Friends of Justice Louis Butler.

“We’re putting together a campaign team and I feel we’ve gotten a good start, so far,” said Butler, whose term expires on July 31, 2008.

Peter Knudsen will serve as state-wide campaign coordinator and Sachin Chedda is interim campaign director. Knudson has worked in both federal and state government and served as an aide to Gov. Jim Doyle. Chedda also worked with Doyle and has 15 years of campaign experience.

“Our goal right now is to get the campaign organized and let the people of Wisconsin know why they should retain Justice Butler,” said Chedda, who is a partner at Milwaukee-based public strategies firm, Nation Consulting.

Assembling a permanent staff, developing the official Web site (www.LouisButler. com) and publishing promotional literature are the current tasks being addressed by personnel.

Though no official offices have been established, Chedda said the campaign will be headquartered in Milwaukee, Butler’s city of residence.

Born in Chicago, Butler was a Milwau-kee Municipal Court judge for a decade prior to being elected to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2002. Gov. Jim Doyle appointed him to the Supreme Court in 2004.

With strong roots in the state’s two biggest cities, Butler intends to get around the state and re-affirm the public’s confidence in his judicial ability.

“I’m going to work hard to retain the trust of the people in the state of Wisconsin,” said Butler, who noted that his primary responsibility is successfully completing this term on the high court.

“Right now, I’m focused on doing my job and getting opinions out,” said Butler. “At least until Aug. 1, I’m still the newest justice.”

Some of those decisions may have bearing as the campaign unfolds, according to John McAdams, associate professor of political science at Marquette University. McAdams expects, as a sitting justice, Butler will face a great deal of scrutiny from opponents.

“Clearly what we have here is a liberal judge, who will be a big, fat target for conservative opponents,” said McAdams, anticipating another “heated” election, similar to last year’s race between Justice-elect Annette K. Ziegler and attorney Linda M. Clifford.

One of several well-funded conservative candidates may step forward to challenge Butler, according to McAdams, who noted that the justice’s service on the Supreme Court could work for, and against him.

“While candidates may not explicitly state their political platform, I expect Butler will be attacked for some of the decisions he’s made, which may have negatively impacted conservatives,” said McAdams.

No opponents have filed nomination papers to challenge Butler, but Chedda said Butler’s strategy would remain the same “if there are no opponents or if there are 10.”

While Butler did not have a definite timetable for how his campaign will develop, he did acknowledge the election landscape has changed.

“We may perhaps be entering a new era for judicial elections and hopefully we’ve started early enough on ours,” said Butler.

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