5 questions Wisconsin needs Justice Rebecca Bradley to answer

Rebecca Bradley

MADISON – It’s been two weeks since Wisconsinites learned that sitting Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote disgusting and hateful remarks in columns for the Marquette Tribune where she called members of the LGBT community “queer”, “degenerates”, and “murderers”, equated abortion to the Holocaust, and blamed the victims of sexual assault. In a rush to “move on”, Justice Bradley has left far too many questions unanswered about her past and has yet to display why Wisconsin citizens should trust her to be a fair and impartial judge on the state’s highest court.Now is the time for Rebecca Bradley to be honest and forthcoming about her views and answer these critical questions.

1. In her opinion columns, Justice Rebecca Bradley compared supporters of abortion rights to Nazis during the Holocaust and called women who opt to have an abortion as being “brainwashed.” These are very extreme views that call into question just how impartial Justice Bradley will be when hearing cases pertaining to women’s rights. How can the people of Wisconsin be certain she will protect the rights women have won over time, and furthermore, how can they trust her to be fair when new questions concerning women’s rights come before the high court?

2. Justice Bradley wrote a newspaper column in support of allowing pharmacists the right to refuse to fill birth control prescriptions from doctors – in which she compared the use of birth control to murder. Bradley has yet to clarify whether or not she still believes birth control is murder or if she still supports creating a law to let pharmacists refuse to fill birth control prescriptions. How can the people of Wisconsin trust their justice to be impartial on the bench if she won’t clarify if these are still her views birth control? 

3. Justice Bradley also wrote a newspaper column where she calls the LGBT community and individuals suffering from AIDS/HIV “degenerates” and “queers.” Bradley’s homophobic hate speech is beyond reprehensible and has no place on the high court. While Bradley says opinions have changed, why should the citizens believe her when she still aligns herself with and touts the support of people like Sheriff David Clarke who has adamantly opposed LGBT equality?

4. Justice Bradley supported the views of Camille Paglia in a newspaper column where she opined that the controversial author had “legitimately suggested that women play a role in date rape. “How can Wisconsinites trust her to protect victims when she blames victims of rape for their assaults?

5. Rebecca Bradley said her angry columns derived from the results of the 1992 Presidential race. However, most of what she wrote came months before a single vote was cast in that election. How can Wisconsinites take Bradley’s apology seriously when she lies about why she wrote those columns, and how can they trust that she is telling the truth now?

“Justice Bradley’s vague explanations haven’t passed the smell test so far. She owes Wisconsin more than a hollow apology, she owes us all an explanation of where she stands today.” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Executive Director Kory Kozloski said on Friday

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