Letter from UW-Madison legal counsel regarding Cronon emails

[HereSince1628]

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere on DU...


http://www.news.wisc.edu/19196


April 1, 2011

Stephan Thompson
Republican Party of Wisconsin
148 East Johnson Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703

Dear Mr. Thompson:

I am writing on behalf of and as legal counsel for the University of Wisconsin-Madison in response to your records request e-mailed to me and dated March 17, 2011. By that request, you seek various e-mails written or received by UW-Madison Professor William Cronon through his university e-mail account beginning on January 1, 2011. You specifically seek e-mails that reference 20 words, terms and names of individuals that all appear to be related to current political events in Wisconsin.

At our request, Professor Cronon immediately undertook a search of all of his accumulated e-mails for the specific words, terms and names as you stated them in your request. The university’s legal staff then reviewed all of the identified e-mails to determine which ones must be made available to you pursuant to the Wisconsin Public records law. Those determinations have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate university officials. Copies of the records determined to be available to you under the law are enclosed.

<Snip>

You should further note that the e-mails that we have reviewed contain absolutely no evidence of political motivation, contact from individuals outside normal academic channels or inappropriate conduct on the part of Professor Cronon. The university finds his conduct, as evidenced in the e-mails, beyond reproach in every respect. He has used his university e-mail account appropriately and legitimately. He has not used his university e-mail account for any inappropriate political conduct. In fact, none of the e-mails contained any reference whatsoever to any of the specific political figures that you identified (except Governor Scott Walker), nor do they in any way reference the proposed recall efforts.

The university is not producing the following categories of records for the following reasons:

1. Records related to students. snip

2. Records related to potential students. snip

3. Records related to professional organizations. snip

4. Personal communications. snip

5. Intellectual communications among scholars. snip

6. Communications related to personnel matters. snip

The university is required to inform you that to the extent that this amounts to a denial of your request, it is subject to review by mandamus under sec. 19.37(1), Wis. Stats., or upon application to the Attorney General or District Attorney.

Sincerely,
John C. Dowling
Senior University Legal Counsel

[MineralMan]

1. Request Denied! Pound Sand, GOP!

Excellent...

[HereSince1628]

2. Apparently the DANE Co/WI GOP is either unaware of relavent case law

that precludes the release of private communications. Or they want to make a fight about it to overturn the existing precedent.

[MineralMan]

5. I doubt they'll push it very far. That costs money, and any competent

attorney will tell them they're on a wild goose chase. I think the idea was publicity, which they got.

[HereSince1628]

6. But (LOL) THEY DON'T SEEM TO HAVE a competent attorney!

:rofl:

[MineralMan]

7. Yes. Well, maybe they can get Orly Taitz to pitch in.

That'd be a great idea. She's so good at this. :rofl:

[HereSince1628]

9. Is the term 'birth certificate' one of the 20 search terms? n/t

[roguevalley]

10. A LaFollette is the AG isn't he? Good luck with pursuing this. :)

[Botany]

3. A thing of beauty

"The university is required to inform you that to the extent that this amounts to a denial of your request ... " aka
fuck you and the horse you rode in on too.

:rofl:

[Tippy]

4. K&R....A foolish request...made by a foolish group

Let me introduce you to the teaparty...

[malaise]

8. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaah

These hurry come up goons in Wisconsin will soon learn

[Sabriel]

11. The mission statement of the Office of Administrative Legal Services:

"The overall mission of the Office of Administrative Legal Services is to provide high quality legal advice, guidance, and representation to advance and protect the University’s mission and vision."

I guess this letter to the WI GOPs comes under the heading of "protect."

It's a perfect example of schooling someone, no pun intended.