Governor Scott Walker wins. Federal judge orders halt to John Doe investigation

[Guest032516]

I know this was going to happen. It seemed like a bullshit lawsuit from the start:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/polit...b-Ac3r7ZhBAgAA

Key quotes:
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In effect, Randa's decision says the state's investigation against the Club for Growth is completely baseless. Randa even ordered that all materials collected in the investigation should be destroyed, and said the group did not need to cooperate with prosecutors.

This is just the latest instance of Wisconsin courts becoming a last resort for political maneuvering. Last week, a federal judge struck down Wisconsin's controversial voter-identification law, which Walker signed into law in 2011. And the status of Walker's most polarizing law, which banned public-sector unions from bargaining collectively, has become a judicial ping-pong match—upheld, overturned, upheld, ad nauseam.

O'Keefe's attorney, David Rivkin, said the investigation had prevented his client's group from raising or spending money, thus inhibiting its speech.
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No doubt many liberals will be disappointed.

But this has to help the GOP. He is a competent politician and not an evangelical ass-kisser.

[IIFFOFRDB]

This is great news!

[chefnerd]

Well, since Wisconsin is known as Cheesehead land and cheese is nothing more than a mold, sounds to me like a lot of moldy brains trying to rule the political landscape.

[IIFFOFRDB]

[chefnerd]

You do realize that the Universal Lifeline Program dates back to Eisenhower don"t you? Oh, and by the way you will find that charge on your phone bill. The only difference is that it now ALSO appears on a cell phone bill.

[Yssup Rider]

Trying to make sense to YouBoob?

Not gonna happen.

[Whirlaway]

This has got to be driving the left nuts. Walker has been one of the left's primary targets to demonize and destroy (see above comments and this above-the-fold, front page hit piece by the WAPO:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...14b_story.html .




Anti-Walkers (think zombies) have failed on every level, at every turn. In the meantime, Walker's policies (i.e. his politics) have been an undeniable success. And his popularity in Wisconsin is sky high. Walker fares well in an electorate that does not seem particularly conservative and that, if anything, is to the left of American voters in general.

Walker’s popularity is particularly striking - 59 percent approve of his performance, while only 39 percent disapprove. Walker’s approval numbers basically track the right direction/wrong direction numbers for his State. 57 percent said that Wisconsin is moving in the right direction, while 38 percent said its moving in the wrong direction. By contrast only 32 percent believe the United States is moving in the right direction. 63 percent think we’re moving the other way. In this very liberal state, Walker's policies and approval ratings are higher than Obama's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest032516]

George Will has an excellent piece on Judge Randa's decision:

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/col...3#.U3Ayc1czBxJ

Key quotes:
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"Randa correctly concluded that the John Doe investigation had no reasonable expectation of obtaining a conviction. But its aim, which had been achieved until Randa’s ruling, was utterly unrelated to law. It was abetted by selective leaks by the prosecutors and by subpoenas sent to conservative donors and organizations nationwide. The purpose of all this was to suppress conservative political advocacy by consuming the time and other resources of conservative leaders, and by making people wary of collaborating with those targeted by a secretive criminal investigation.
O’Keefe and the other harassed conservatives had engaged only in issue advocacy, not express advocacy. That is, they had not urged the election of specific candidates. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that government regulation of political speech is permissible only to prevent quid pro quo corruption — money purchasing political favors — resulting from express advocacy . Hence there is no justification for the prosecutors’ punitive investigation of O’Keefe’s and others’ issue advocacy. As Randa said, this has no “taint of quid pro quo corruption” and thus “is not subject to regulation.”
The Democratic prosecutors must know this. Again, they ignore it because their aim is mayhem, not law enforcement. Their activity is entirely about suffocating conservative activity. Because the prosecutors know Wisconsin law, they are patently disingenuous in arguing that O’Keefe and others illegally “coordinated” their advocacy with Walker and other candidates or campaigns. Randa said “the record seems to validate” the denials of coordination.
Besides, and even more importantly, Randa said his court “need not make that type of factual finding.” Wisconsin law forbids coordination between third-party groups, such as O’Keefe’s, and candidates only for express advocacy , and Randa said “it is undisputed” that O’Keefe and his group engaged only in issue advocacy. The prosecutors’ indifference to this is their corruption".
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This investigation was an outrage from the start.

Pure political malice masquerading as even-handed law enforcement.

[Munchmasterman]

Originally Posted by IIFFOFRDB

It is said that a person is what he eats. It's also safe to say he is educated by what he watches.

The amount of time you spend locating, watching. and then passing on your form of bullshit far outweighs any useful knowledge you may have absorbed though personal experience.

Helen Keller only tried to read the stove burner once. Your words show you try every day.

[timpage]

Interesting. I believe that it is more than a bit rare for a federal judge, or any judge for that matter, to enter an order requiring the cessation of a state-based criminal investigation. An appeal has already been filed with the 7th Circuit. We'll see how that turns out. The 7th Circuit has already reversed his utterly extraordinary order that the evidence generated thus far in the case be destroyed.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/loc...5f61329de.html

Judge Randa has an interesting history. And one of his assistants is married to one of the attorneys working for Walker on the investigation.

>>>>Campaign finance statements show that Friends of Scott Walker paid Steven Biskupic’s law firm $86,000 in legal fees. Moreover, Biskupic has been intimately involved in this probe—court papers revealed that in February, Biskupic was named as an attorney in a state case challenging the investigation into illegal coordination.
Steven Biskupic is married to Cary Biskupic, who is listed as a judicial assistant to Judge Randa on the US District Court’s website. The Nation confirmed her current employment there by phone on Thursday.<<<<<

http://www.thenation.com/blog/179755...tt-walker-case#

We'll see. In the meantime, Judge Randa's decision ought to be accorded the respect it deserves.

Let's all try to remember that the next time a United States District Court judge strikes down an anti-gay marriage law, a voter ID requirement statute or one of the other dozen things that the mouth-breathers around here cry about when it happens.

[lustylad]

Presumably the reason Judge Randa ordered the "evidence" returned (and copies of it destroyed) was to keep it from being used by Wisconsin libtards to harass and intimidate their political opponents. I am sure the "evidence" included lots of private information (confidential donor lists, strategy discussions, etc.) that partisan elected officials and prosecutors have no business knowing or obtaining in the first place.

The real motive behind this phony John Doe investigation is to collect such private information and leak it to Walker's enemies. George Will has it right - the "aim is mayhem, not law enforcement" and the probe is directed entirely at "suffocating conservative activity".

[Yssup Rider]

Oh, the judge was out to protect the state of Wiconsin from "lib-tards!"

Makes perfect sense, IBJunior.

Got (forbidden topic?)

[lustylad]

Originally Posted by Yssup Rider

Oh, the judge was out to protect the state of Wiconsin (sic) from "lib-tards!"

In this case, yes. His ruling would also deter future Republican prosecutors from using the same bad behavior to suppress libtard political speech.

But that never occurs to you, assup, because you are a typical short-sighted libtarded moron who never ponders how your actions will boomerang and come back and smack you right in your libtard face!

[timpage]

Originally Posted by lustylad

Presumably the reason Judge Randa ordered the "evidence" returned (and copies of it destroyed) was to keep it from being used by Wisconsin libtards to harass and intimidate their political opponents. I am sure the "evidence" included lots of private information (confidential donor lists, strategy discussions, etc.) that partisan elected officials and prosecutors have no business knowing or obtaining in the first place.

The real motive behind this phony John Doe investigation is to collect such private information and leak it to Walker's enemies. George Will has it right - the "aim is mayhem, not law enforcement" and the probe is directed entirely at "suffocating conservative activity".

I'm just wondering why you and the rest of the knuckle-draggers aren't outraged that a United States District Court judge----yes a FEDERAL judge would dare shut down a STATE criminal investigation? Isn't this just the sort of over-reaching federal gub'mint that you half-witted retards like to quack about? Fuck you........Lad......

[Guest032516]

Originally Posted by timpage

I'm just wondering why you and the rest of the knuckle-draggers aren't outraged that a United States District Court judge----yes a FEDERAL judge would dare shut down a STATE criminal investigation?

Probably for the same reason that FEDERAL judges shut down STATE infringements of other civil rights. He had JURISDICTION over it.