Gableman and Ziegler: The Corporate Lap-Dog Bloc of the WI Supreme Court
Once again, the dependable corporate lapdogs on the Wisconsin Supreme Court bought and paid for by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce come through in the clutch for corporate interests. Justices Mike Gableman and Annette Ziegler, beneficiaries of millions of dollars in spending from WMC during their run for the Supreme Court, ruled yesterday that owners of a Wisconsin manufacturing company had the right to take millions of dollars in compensation as they drove their company into the ground.
WMC filed a brief in appeals court last year defending these corporate criminals, pushing the same tired talking point that a ruling against the owners forcing them to pay damages to the workers they bilked out of fair compensation would have a ‘chilling effect on business.’ When Polsky v. Virnich was sent to the Supreme Court, the Associated Press noted WMC withdrew from the case and cited the gobs of money it spent helping to elect the corporate bloc of the court in Gableman and Ziegler created a huge conflict of interest.
However, the conflict wasn’t clearly apparently to the ethically-challenged Justices. Despite the delivery of over 2,400 petitions from the One Wisconsin Now community to Gableman and Ziegler pointing out the conflict and demanding their recusal from the case, the two corporate shills ruled on the case. [We made a video of the petition delivery you can see at our youtube channel here.]
Cases like Polsky v. Virnich are exactly why WMC got involved in supporting Ziegler and Gableman. WMC spent millions on ads supporting Gableman claiming he was tough on crime. It spent $2.2 million supporting Ziegler as the ‘public safety’ justice. But WMC could care less about crime and public safety; there’s no mention of either in the mission statement listed on WMC’s web site. What it really wants is more handouts and loopholes for the corporations it represents, and rulings like Polsky v. Virnich prove WMC has two puppets standing by ready to enrich their CEO cronies on the backs of Wisconsin working families.