I assumed that I'd misread or something and this was about national US politics. But no, it appears the.... electoral contest???... over who gets to be the next judge on the Wisconsin Supreme Court will cost about the same as all campaign spending by all parties in a UK general election. - ThreadSky

jim.londoncentric.media • 5 days ago

I assumed that I'd misread or something and this was about national US politics. But no, it appears the.... electoral contest???... over who gets to be the next judge on the Wisconsin Supreme Court will cost about the same as all campaign spending by all parties in a UK general election.

Reposted from Wisconsin Examiner

ICYMI: Wisconsin Supreme Court race set to hit $100M mark. @henry-redman.bsky.social reports.

Comments

alanrew.bsky.social•5 days ago

US democracy is more corrupted by money than that of many other western countries, IIRC because the Supreme Court decided that putting a limit on political donations violated a donor's free speech rights under the 1st Amendment. It's bonkers. It moves democracy towards plutocracy.

kizzlebizzle.bsky.social•5 days ago

Citizens United was the beginning of the end

sellfish.bsky.social•4 days ago

There should be a massive tax on political donations.

robinbudd.bsky.social•5 days ago

If the WI Supreme Court doesn't keep its Democratic majority (electing Judge Crawford) then Wisconsinians can kiss fair maps, the rule of law and choice good
-bye.

kennystewart.bsky.social•5 days ago

Citizens United has a lot to answer for.

jesl1.bsky.social•4 days ago

vote for integrity on the Supreme Court Vote for Susan Crawford.

Early voting continues through today, Friday March 28. Election Day on Tuesday Apr 1.
#CrawfordForCourt
#StopShadySchimel
#SBWI

hobbidysparks.bsky.social•5 days ago

Our Republican Supreme Court did this to us with their Citizen's United ruling allowing oligarchy domination of our elections

phillip-rees.bsky.social•5 days ago

TIRED: Citizens United
WIRED: Plutocrats United

davidherdson.bsky.social•5 days ago

Electing judges is nonsensical. Spending tens of millions of dollars (or more) to elect a judge is even more ridiculous.

It's ironic that Americans make so much of their vaunted separation of powers, and then deeply undermine that by subjecting judiciary to democratic methods.

pibasedlifeform.bsky.social•5 days ago

The only consolation in all of this is that the judges appointing before King Orange I took over (with some exceptions) are 80% obeying the constitution and the law over whatever MAGA thinks the constitution and the law is

Still doesn't change its a bonkers system but still

empath75.bsky.social•5 days ago

All federal judges are appointed by the president and a lot of the higher level judges in states are appointed by the governors. The vast majority of state judges _are_ elected, but most of those are fairly low stakes local affairs and a lot of them are non-partisan.

empath75.bsky.social•5 days ago

Separation of powers doesn’t have anything to do with judges being appointed or elected, it just has to do with their powers compared to the other branches while in office. You could just as well argue that judges accountable to voters are on a more equal footing than judges that are appointed.

davidherdson.bsky.social•5 days ago

That's the theory. But Trump has shown that a cohesive party organisation under a powerful leader makes nominal separation of powers irrelevant. Republicans in Congress are acting as part of the executive.

A judge, acting under the same quasi-party and electoral pressures is similarly bound.

disappoptimism.bsky.social•5 days ago

And Mr Musk offering cash prizes to people to help drive the campaign no less

mint-royale.com•5 days ago

Musk will be allowed to open Tesla dealerships there if he gets his guy in, that’s all it’s about. Crazy.

mykl.sparkle.blue•5 days ago

Just imagine if Musk wins this one. No democracy will be safe.

nortl.bsky.social•5 days ago

Musk, is America’s #1 cause of a Destroyed Democracy,

mwilbert.bsky.social•5 days ago

Also should point out it is about national politics. Wisconsin sends 6 GOP and 2 Dem congressmen to Washington, but the state is actually about 50/50 GOP Dem. It's 6/2 because of a pretty extreme gerrymander, which the Wisconsin Supreme Court is likely to overturn if the election goes against Musk.

redneeraj.bsky.social•5 days ago

Another reason why billionaires are a policy failure.

kate411.bsky.social•5 days ago

Outrageous that we have to fight off dark money from out of state louts

csclark.bsky.social•5 days ago

Posters $2 million
TV ads $8 million
Envelopes and stamps $1 million
Billionaire lottery money for chuds that sign a petition $85 million
Print ads and billboards $4 million
someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my democracy is dying

hikemix.bsky.social•5 days ago

why the question marks? Is there confusion about the concept of electing judges?

jim.londoncentric.media•5 days ago

I mean I have reported from the US on such contests but it remains baffling.

hikemix.bsky.social•5 days ago

what's the confusion?

zathras5.bsky.social•5 days ago

Yes, it’s true. About a fifth of that comes from Elon Musk personally. An old law here bars auto manufacturers from selling cars directly to consumers — Tesla’s business model. Musk sued last year, a suit the Wisconsin Supreme Court may eventually decide. He is trying to buy a friendly majority.

zathras5.bsky.social•5 days ago

It is unbelievably corrupt, to the point of being aesthetically gross. But the liberal candidate — judicial elections in Wisconsin are officially nonpartisan — is a basically normal person, and Musk & his money have inspired resentment. So when all the votes are cast after April 1, he may lose.

amyp-nobs.bsky.social•5 days ago

I sure hope so!

maraleia.bsky.social•5 days ago

Blame John Robert's Citizen's United decision at the Supreme Court for this. The right-wing in America don't know how to run free and fair elections.

telegreen.bsky.social•5 days ago

Wisconsinite here. The state has been hell for 15 years and somehow it's managed to get worse.

katteroo.bsky.social•5 days ago

Musk has thrown his chequebook into the ring on this one. Desperate for favourable judges in a key swing state. 🙄

lynnrschrader.bsky.social•5 days ago

You can credit Elon Musk and his Republican enablers (and the US Supreme Court) for that!

iangorrie.bsky.social•5 days ago

Totally normal country....

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