Federal judge halts John Doe probe into Walker recall

[Ellipsis]

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel


A federal judge ordered a halt to the controversial John Doe investigation into campaign spending and fundraising by Gov. Scott Walker's campaign and other conservative groups during the high-profile recall elections.

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa issued the 26-page decision late Tuesday, calling on prosecutors to immediately stop the long-running, five-county investigation into possible illegal coordination between the various groups.

"The Defendants must cease all activities related to the investigation, return all property seized in the investigation from any individual or organization, and permanently destroy all copies of information and other materials obtained through the investigation," Randa wrote.

"Plaintiffs and others are herby relieved of any and every duty under Wisconsin law to cooperate further with Defendants' investigation," he wrote.

Special prosecutor Francis Schmitz said late Tuesday he expects to appeal to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. "I'm virtually assured we will appeal this decision. I have to consult with the others and my attorney."

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/federal-judge-halts-john-doe-probe-into-walker-recall-b99264341z1-258209431.html

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Donald Downs, a professor of political science and law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said he would need to read the ruling before giving full comments. But the news of the ruling stunned him.

"Wow. This goes beyond anything I expected," Downs said.

[Newsjock]

1. Of course he did.

http://judgepedia.org/Rudolph_Randa

He joined the court in 1992 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush.

Randa was in the same graduating class as former governor of Wisconsin, Tommy G. Thompson.

In 1995, Judge Randa ruled that the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinics Entrances Act was unconstitutional in banning "nonviolent, physical obstruction of reproductive health services clinics." Judge Randa ruled that Congress could not use its constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause to regulate abortion protests

[riversedge]

12. Whow. thanks for this. What a jerk!

[Thor_MN]

2. In 1992, Randa was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to become a federal district judge in th

In 1992, Randa was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to become a federal district judge in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

[James48]

3. Figures

Republicans try to cover up the crimes of their own.

[Scuba]

4. IOKIYAR

[Blue Owl]

5. Hmmm, must be something juicy in there...

n/t

[Judi Lynn]

6. The confederacy is working like a well-oiled death machine.

Any chance to introduce justice to their frenzy to claim total power seems to get crushed.

They are not going to win, in the end. They are doomed to utter failure. They have no reason to exist. Greed and hatred just aren't enough.

[center]

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa[/center]

[hue]

21. The face of pure evil. Just one of many in WI...

[Half-Century Man]

25. Looks like the Red Skull

......with wispy hair...sitting in Grandma's chair...worried that he sat on his colostomy bag's tube.

[Lint Head]

27. What's wrong with his fucking lips?

Has he been kissing too much ass?

[Kelvin Mace]

7. Well, somebody's money

was very well spent.

[hue]

8. Wake me when & if this nightmare is ever over....

[Botany]

9. From my Ohio perspective the Walker recall vote never passed my smell test

The #s on the voting day never made any sense to me and Walker's anti recall
rallies prior to the vote pulled pitifull turnouts but the story that "people were mad
about the recall and so they voted for Walker" got legs. Republicans in many
cases have to cheat to win.


The Koch Brothers bought that vote.

[LeftOfWest]

10. Disgusting.

School Boards, City Councils, Judges.


Stacked since Nixon and probably before on the right wing hate side.

[riversedge]

11. I just read this about 10 min ago and am still stunned. I just

am stunned.

[Javaman]

13. the rich win, we, as always, lose. nt

[Iliyah]

14. No, the rich does not always win

but a lot of them do go insane. Sane does overcome.

[merrily]

15. When did federal judges become state legislators?

Aren't Republicans the ones who are always complaining about things like that?

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Constitution of the United States.

I wonder what kind of pretzel Scalia is going to have to twist himself into to claim the Founders would have approved of this.

I also wonder which parts of the Bill of Rights are not dead letters anymore.

[defacto7]

17. The judge called for

returning and destruction of evidence as well as calling for non-cooperation. That's crazy.

[merrily]

18. Could not agree more.

[hue]

22. As Scuba wrote, IOKIYAR...

[blackspade]

16. Sounds like someone was getting a little too close to the truth....

Rudolph Randa appears to be on the take.

[merrily]

19. Maybe. If you can buy candidates, votes and elections, why not federal judges?

Or maybe he is just corrupt because he is that partisan, like Scalia. (Or is that Scalia is on the take, like Randa? Who knows?)

Thing is, what do we, the people, who are in theory supposed to have the ultimate power in this country, going to do about it?

For one thing, I think we should start calling for impeachments. We may not get them, but maybe some of the more partisan judges and Justices will get nervous. For example, FDR never got his plan to enlarge the SCOTUS passed by Congress, but the Justices got the message anyway.

[Ellipsis]

20. kick

[The Magistrate]

23. This Is An Incredible Statement From A Judge, Sir

'"The ( Wisconsin Club for Growth and its treasurer ) have found a way to circumvent campaign finance laws, and that circumvention should not and cannot be condemned or restricted. Instead, it should be recognized as promoting political speech, an activity that is 'ingrained in our culture,'" Randa wrote, quoting from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.'

When one 'circumvents' the law, one breaks it, and commits a crime....

[malthaussen]

24. And here I thought officers of the court were supposed to enforce the law.

Where do these people learn this stuff? Seriously, it seems like they're all reading from the same catechism.

-- Mal

[Bonduel]

30. Circumventing the law does not necessarily mean

You are breaking the law. You might be.

[Half-Century Man]

26. A Jurist from the "fuck your justice" school.

A subtle as stake through the heart.

[PumpkinAle]

28. And Citizens' United rears its' ugly head again.........

In his decision, Randa cited the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which loosened campaign finance laws for political groups, in siding with O'Keefe and the Club for Growth.

"The plaintiffs have found a way to circumvent campaign finance laws, and that circumvention should not and cannot be condemned or restricted," Randa wrote. "Instead, it should be recognized as promoting political speech, an activity that is 'ingrained in our culture.' "

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/a-federal-judge-just-called-an-end-to-scott-walker-s-recall-probe-20140507

[Bonduel]

29. Sorry, but this should have ended

And the ones to blame are the incompetent people who ran this investigation. Don't get me wrong, walker should be nailed, but I don't like these open ended on going investigations. I wouldn't like it against a democrat so I don't like it against them either.

I read somewhere that when they were searching for evidence, they had a warrant but the defendants were held and not allowed to contact their attorneys. If that is true then that is wrong.

They could have busted Walker and his cronies. Their is evidence I'm sure. This type of behavior creates sympathy for these people. Not by the Democratic base but by independents and middle of the road people.

[TroglodyteScholar]

31. "I read somewhere"

Well, I guess that settles it, then.

[Bonduel]

35. Actually it was in the ruling from the judge

So if he is lying I'm sure the prosecutors will be able to prove it. If the judge is correct then shame on the prosecutors. They have mishandled this whole investigation. The public does not like an open ended case against anyone that drags on. It always looks like you don't have any real evidence against them. You just keep tossing things out hoping something will stick.

[Orsino]

32. Bag man. n/t

[Gothmog]

33. Will this order be appealed?

This is a very partisan ruling by a GOP judge. It should be appealed.

[hue]

34. It looks like it will be appealed. (We don't know when tho.)

Special Prosecutor Francis Schmitz, a Republican assigned to the investigation said he plans on appealing to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago.

“I’m virtually assured we will appeal this decision,” Schmitz told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I have to consult with the others and my attorney” before making a final decision.

[Gothmog]

36. Order has been STAYED

The judge's ruling was stayed and the investigation can continue http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/halt-to-john-doe-probe-lifts-obstacle-to-scott-walker-re-election-bid-b99264574z1-258293621.html

Less than 24 hours after a federal judge halted a probe into conservative groups and the campaign of Gov. Scott Walker, an appeals court blocked that ruling — allowing prosecutors to keep material they have gathered in the case.

The three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago provided a means for U.S. District Rudolph Randa in Milwaukee to reissue his preliminary injunction stopping the investigation, but it said he cannot order prosecutors to destroy evidence they have collected so far.

Also Wednesday, Randa ruled a coalition of five media groups could intervene in the case in its attempt to unseal hundreds of pages of court filings that have been blacked out. He gave all sides a week to object to making that material public


Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/halt-to-john-doe-probe-lifts-obstacle-to-scott-walker-re-election-bid-b99264574z1-258293621.html#ixzz314aNogsR
Follow us: @JournalSentinel on Twitter

This litigation is far from over but this appears to be good news

[TroglodyteScholar]

37. New development...

Action was taken, and quick-like...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014799203

[Ellipsis]

38. Locking.... Randa's a fuckin' colostomy bag.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014799203