Really good news and some so-so news on Solidarity Sing Along prosecutions

[hue]

http://www.bluecheddar.net/?p=38718#more-

As you may recall back in February Circuit Court Judge Peter Anderson ordered Wisconsin’s Department of Justice to come up with a cost benefit analysis on the DOJ’s years long and failed effort to prosecute roughly 400 citations related to singing in the Wisconsin Capitol rotunda.

In a Thursday reply, the Assistant Deputy Attorney General Daniel Lennington told the judge, basically, that the cost and benefit of the prosecution is none of his business.

“DOJ has exercised prosecutorial discretion in the many forfeiture actions arising from activities at the Capitol, whether through dismissing charges when appropriate or offering deferred prosecution agreements,” wrote Lennington. And, “But this is the duty of the prosecutor, not the court.”

In response, civil rights attorney Jeff Scott Olson told Cap Times that, “To say that the Legislature intended this tremendous sinkhole of judicial effort to fall upon the Dane County judges when it passed these rules is nutty.”

Judge Anderson is scheduled to make an oral ruling in the cases on May 1st.


In really GOOD news related to singing, the Madison Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild reports that Judge Maryann Sumi has dismissed all citations before her that were issued for singing in the Capitol rotunda last summer.

[Blue Owl]

1. Time to go SATB on that SOB Walker!

n/t

[Lefta Dissenter]

2. It will be interesting.

I'm anxious to hear Judge Anderson's response to the DOJ's "none of your beeswax" response to his order.

As to the dismissals, we'd better keep our fingers crossed on the Crute appeal. All of these that are dismissed based on Crute will wind up back in the courtrooms again if DOJ is successful in appealing Crute.

We've REALLY got to elect an Attorney General who won't waste our resources on prosecuting people for singing and holding signs! Oh, and circle walking. There are still some circle walking cases open.