Wisconsin bad news:Justice Prosser has ethics charges filed, recalled Senator resigns

[Riot]

The late Friday afternoon news dump from Republicans in Wisconsin has become a predictable thing:

Remember Justice David Prosser, who tried to choke another justice in anger?

Madison - The Wisconsin Judicial Commission filed formal ethics allegations Friday against Justice David Prosser for a June incident in which he placed his hands on the neck of Justice Ann Walsh Bradley.

The commission found Prosser violated three provisions of the ethics code for state judges.

Its request for sanctions against Prosser was filed with the state Supreme Court. The confrontation between Prosser and Bradley occurred in front of all but one of the other members of the court.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepo...142975425.html

And recalled Republican State Senator Pam Galloway has resigned, effective midnight tonight, rather than go through the recall election

Galloway's resignation will cause the Republicans to lose their Senate majority. Republicans would hold 16 seats and Democrats would hold 16 seats. It marks a dramatic change from a year ago, when Republicans held a commanding 19-14 majority in the Senate. It was narrowed to 17-16 in August when Democrats gained two seats in recall elections.

The new, 16-16 split will be brief, and one side or the other should take control in May or June, when recall elections are expected to be held for state senators. Control of the Senate will again be up for grabs in November, when half the senators will be up for election.

The recall election against Galloway will still move forward even though she will no longer occupy the seat, said Reid Magney, a spokesman for the Government Accountability Board, which runs state elections.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepo...142927885.html

Galloway's resignation also puts into question the Republican-drawn redistricting maps, that are currently undergoing judicial review, and have already been ordered to be redrawn by the judiciary branch

"It kind of puts us in a holding pattern for the next two months," Fitzgerald said.

Lawmakers are awaiting a decision from a three-judge panel on whether maps of legislative districts that Republicans drew last year pass constitutional muster. If the federal judges find the maps were improperly drawn, they will likely send them back to the Legislature.

That would mean Republicans and Democrats would have to agree on any new election maps. If they could not, the judges would have to draw them.