Supreme Court Candidate Dan Kelly Tried to Hide Blog Posts From Public After Judicial Appointment

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly attempted to hide years of controversial blog posts he authored from the public after being appointed to the state high court, according to a report from the state news service Wispolitics.com. Research by One Wisconsin Now uncovered dozens of posts authored by Kelly between 2012 and 2015 in which he expressed extreme views on social and economic issues. When asked, a campaign spokesperson admitted the posts were scrubbed from the blog at Kelly’s request.

“As soon as Dan Kelly was appointed to the bench, he tried to hide years of blog post writings where he openly shared his extremist views,” said One Wisconsin Now Deputy Director Mike Browne. “What he had to say was bad enough, that he tried to hide it from the public as soon he was appointed to the the court makes it even worse.”

Between 2012 and 2015 Dan Kelly was a regular contributor to a blog entitled “Hang Together” along with several other individuals. Archived posts from the other contributor remain online, however Kelly’s posts and comments on other posts have been scrubbed, reportedly at Kelly’s request.

In his writings, Kelly:

• Opined President Obama’s 2012 re-election, supported by 1.6 million Wisconsinites, was a win for the, “socialism/same-sex marriage/recreational marijuana/tax increase crowd”;
• Accused the media of defending and advocating “radical Islam” because of “multi-culturalism”;
• Expressed his view a Wisconsin judge’s decision to uphold worker freedom was emblematic of a “deep state” conspiracy;
• Criticized a federal court decision on marriage equality illegitimate and upholding the Affordable Care Act was the end of democracy; and
• Claimed federal tax funding of social security and other safety net programs like food assistance was akin to slavery and derided recipients of public assistance.

Kelly’s attempt to hide his tracks also came after the writings of his close court colleague and campaign supporter Rebecca Bradley were exposed. Her right wing rants tracked with Kelly in expressing contempt for people who did not support their political views and vile homophobia.

Browne concluded, “As soon as Dan Kelly was appointed to public office he undertook an effort to hide his extreme views from the public. Those aren’t the actions of someone who can be trusted to be honest and impartial on the court.”

A full accounting of the information uncovered by One Wisconsin Now that Kelly attempted to hide from public view can be found here.