Does Judge Rudolph Randa Have a Conflict in Scott Walker Case?

[deminks]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/179755/does-judge-rudolph-randa-have-conflict-scott-walker-case

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa issued a ruling halting an investigation into alleged illegal coordination between the conservative political group Wisconsin Club for Growth and the campaign of Governor Scott Walker. The ruling was immediately dubbed “extraordinary” by legal experts, not least because not only did Randa stop a state investigation into alleged coordination, but he ordered that the evidence collected so far be destroyed—a move that was immediately reversed by a federal appeals court.

Interestingly, it turns out that Randa’s judicial assistant, Cary Biskupic, is married to a top lawyer for Walker’s campaign, which raises potential concerns about impropriety.

The case revolves around a state investigation into whether the Wisconsin Club for Growth illegally coordinated its campaign funds with Friends of Scott Walker, the governor’s campaign arm, in 2012. That investigation has been ongoing for months, and has produced raids of several WCFG officials.

(snip)

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 U.S. District Court’s website. The Nation confirmed her current employment there by phone on Thursday.

(end snip)

Interesting question. Did the Judge get his marching orders?

[randys1]

1. WOW destroy the evidence WOW

my god, tell me why I should obey the law

god damnit, first Bundy now this

FUCK YOU

[msongs]

2. i believe randa is a bush 1 appointee nt

[alp227]

6. yes

http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/nGetInfo?jid=1961

[Donald Ian Rankin]

3. This is scraping-the-barrel innuendo, nothing more, I think.

"He has an assistant who is married to someone who works for" is a pretty damn thin connection.

I bet you could find connections between an awful lot of people at that distance.

[shraby]

4. I don't see that connection as thin.

It's thick enough for the judge to recuse himself.

[Half-Century Man]

5. I agree, he should have recused himself.

At the very least, this could be a convenient way for messages and stuff to travel form point A to point B without a paper trail.

[Gothmog]

7. The 7th Circuit will have another crack at this ruling

The 7th Cir. has reversed this judge before in another political case

The appeals panel consists of Judges Diane Wood, William Bauer and Frank Easterbrook. Wood is the court's chief judge and was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1995; Easterbrook was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985; and Bauer was appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1974. Both Easterbrook and Bauer are former chief judges.

The same three appellate judges seven years ago reversed Randa in another criminal case with strong political overtones.

In April 2007, the panel ruled that state purchasing supervisor Georgia Thompson was wrongly convicted of making sure a state travel contract went to a firm linked to Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's re-election campaign.

In that case, in which Randa sentenced Thompson to 18 months in prison, Wood called the evidence used to convict Thompson "beyond thin." The panel acted with unusual speed, ordering Thompson's immediate release from prison.

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/federal-judge-stops-doe-probe-for-second-time-b99265560z1-258474841.html#ixzz319igJm8C

This judge appears to have a great deal of bias in political cases

[deminks]

8. kick once for the evening. nt