State Rep. Shelia Stubbs
Press Release

Rep. Shelia Stubbs Speaks in Favor of Assembly Bill 965 to Protect Judiciary

 

By - Feb 20th, 2024 05:26 pm

MADISON, WI- After speaking on the Assembly floor in favor of Assembly Bill 965—relating to: picketing or parading at the residence of a judge with the intent to interfere with, obstruct, or impede the administration of justice or influence any judge and providing a penalty, Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:

“In our state, justices and judges are charged with preserving fairness, integrity, and impartiality. To ensure that justice is served, the decisions of judges and other court officials must be immune to external influences and interests. I would like to thank Representative Ron Tusler and Senator Van Wanggaard for their work on this bill.

Protesting a judge’s decision is an expression of free speech. However, a line is crossed when protestors gather outside a judge or justice’s residence. According to data from the Wisconsin Supreme Court Marshal’s office, there have been nearly 150 threats made against Wisconsin judges in the last year. The assassination of Circuit Court Judge John Roemer in 2022 in his home illustrates the need to protect the residences of court officials.

By prohibiting demonstrations and picketing outside of a court official’s home, we will preserve the integrity of our judicial system and the decisions it renders. No member of the judiciary can make a truly impartial and fair decision from a place of fear for their own safety. We want to ensure that our court officials continue to serve their communities with the highest possible adherence to the standards of justice.

We cannot allow outside pressure to shape our court decisions. Assembly Bill 965 implements protections for the safety of judiciary members to ensure the law is executed fairly and appropriately.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us