Gavel Grab

Although a federal judge ruled a year ago that state judges can join political parties, candidates in a statewide judicial primary scheduled this week are not rushing to take advantage of the ruling, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Edward Leineweber, a Richland County circuit judge and candidate for the 4th District Court of Appeals said forgoing party labels “helps protect the impartiality and integrity of the judicial system and reassures people that I am not coming in with a particular agenda.”

But Milwaukee County Circuit Judge John Siefert, who brought the lawsuit that led to the 2009 court ruling, said he thinks the situation will change in 2011. State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser will run for re-election then; he is former Republican speaker of the state Assembly. Judge Siefert believes Democrats likely will run a challenger to Justice Prosser.

In contests for the state Supreme Court, partisan leanings of candidates have gotten more and more obvious, with those who routinely back Democrats or Republicans backing their preferred candidates.

You can learn about last year’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb from Gavel Grab. The state has appealed her ruling, and a decision is awaited from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.