Wisconsin Prosecutors Push to Revive Walker Campaign Case
By Andrew Harris Sep 10, 2014 12:01 AM ET
Wisconsin prosecutors’ bid to revive their probe into whether Governor Scott Walker’s 2012 recall campaign illegally coordinated with a Republican-leaning group may get a boost from U.S. appeals court judges who asked why they were even involved in the case.
The prosecutors were barred by a Milwaukee federal judge from pressing their investigation after the Wisconsin chapter of Club for Growth and director Eric O’Keefe sued claiming a violation of their constitutional free-speech rights.
A lawyer for those prosecutors asked a three-judge appeals court panel in Chicago yesterday to reverse that May ruling, saying the club lawsuit was an attempt to punish them for doing their jobs.
At least two of the judges questioned whether the dispute should have stayed in state court. U.S. Circuit Judge Diane P. Wood said she was “frankly troubled” by the notion of setting a precedent where people frustrated by state courts “come running across the street to a federal court.”
The argument comes as Walker, a first-term Republican and a potential 2016 presidential contender, is locked in a re-election battle with Democratic challenger Mary Burke, a former executive with Trek Bicycle Corp. executive. He leads her 47.5 percent to 44.1 percent among registered voters, according to a poll released by Marquette University Law School Aug. 27. Burke leads Walker 48.6 percent to 46.5 percent among those who said they’re certain to vote in the Nov. 4 election.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-09/wisconsin-prosecutors-push-court-to-revive-walker-campaign-probe.html
