With Michele Bachmann formally launching her presidential bid today in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, the Des Moines Register polled Iowa voters on which GOP candidate they are supporting in 2012 and found an almost even split between Mitt Romney and Bachmann. Bachmann came in with 22% compared to Romney's 23%, while other GOP candidates polled at 12 to 20% lower rates. Check out complete poll results after the break, and let us know what you think in the comments. The race now lacks a frontrunner with a virtual dead heat between Bachmann and Romney, and also has a number of dedicated and substantial blocs supporting other GOP candidates. Do you think the race will come down to Romney versus Bachmann? Or do you think another GOP candidate can still win the nomination?
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• Briton steps up his power game to overcome Frenchman • ‘I was happy to get off. I’ll be hoping for thunderstorms later’ Andy Murray is through to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the fourth year running, after defeating the French 17th seed Richard Gasquet 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a forceful display that got better the longer it went on and ended in clinical fashion. And he will feel satisfied that his focused display against the mercurial Frenchman, in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the Royal Box, was a marked step up from his performances in the first week. There was to be no repeat of their epic round-of-16 match in 2008, which Murray came back to win from two sets to love down after Gasquet had served for the match. That was a defining moment in Murray’s Wimbledon career, remembered for the image of him bearing his bicep at the end, but Monday’s victory was more routine. Gasquet was the better player for much of the first set, at times displaying the superb touch and vision that took him to seventh in the world in 2007. He has been up and down since, but his impressive one-handed backhand remains a show stopping weapon and he lost just five points his serve. Murray was forced to save a break point in his first service game and laboured at times, with just 57% of his first attempts going in. The pair seemed to be having a personal duel to see who could execute the most audacious drop shot, with both offering up impressive examples. But displaying the big-game temperament that has served him well in recent years – at least until the final hurdle – Murray stepped up his game to seize the initiative in the first set tie break and clinched it 7-3. In the second set Murray became more aggressive from the baseline, stepping into his returns and winding up the tempo. His serve improved too, reaching speeds of 134mph, and he began to dominate his opponent. He secured a break point in the fifth with a backhand winner that had him pumping his fist and went on to take the second set 6-3. In doing so, he had just four unforced errors and produced 17 winners to Gasquet’s nine underlined his improvement. From there an increasingly confident Murray went on to seize full control, unleashing his full repertoire of shots. An almost perfect fifth game in the third set, which included two particularly fine crosscourt forehand passes that had the crowd on their feet, gave him another break. Gasquet’s challenge withered and Murray broke again to serve successfully for the match. Clearly satisfied with his afternoon’s work on a sweltering Centre Court, he bowed to the Royal Box before hurling his sweatbands and cap into the crowd. He said afterwards that the heat had taken “a bit of time to get used to” after the cooler climate at the French Open, Queen’s and the first week of Wimbledon. He also said he was pleased to close the match out in straight sets. “I was happy to get off and I’ll be hoping for a few thunderstorms later,” he quipped. It was Murray’s eighth straight victory and Judy Murray may yet be denied the opportunity to see the Spaniard Feliciano López – whom she has christened “Deliciano” much to her son’s embarrassment – who will have to come back from two sets down if he is to beat the Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot. If Murray can overcome the winner of that match – and in this form it should be a formality – then a repeat of last year’s semi-final against Rafael Nadal awaits. Andy Murray Wimbledon 2011 Tennis Wimbledon Owen Gibson guardian.co.uk
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The Frijj manufacturer was criticised for being insensitive to young jobseekers after offering Warren, 24, as a prize He was supposed to be the prize that everyone wanted to win. Replete with gormless look and dressed in a lumberjack-esque shirt and cap, Warren the 24-year-old “work experience boy” was prepared to do “whatever you want him to”. But with youth unemployment hovering near the million mark, and thousands of young people desperate to do anything to get their foot on the employment ladder, Dairy Crest, the company behind the competition to market Frijj bottled milkshakes, has admitted being insensitive and apologised for offering up a “slave for a day” prize. Warren was won on eight occasions by people around the country who put him to a range of tasks: everything from clearing up dog faeces to washing cars, breaking wood, gardening and painting fences. His eight-hour days as Frijj’s intern were filmed and posted on YouTube where they have been viewed by more than 80,000 people. More than 2,800 have been following his experiences on Twitter. Dairy Crest, which also makes Cathedral cheddar, Clover spread and Country Life butter, said it had received a handful of complaints about using Warren as a prize but stressed that he was a paid actor who was not made to do anything “illegal or immoral” or anything he regarded as “mistreatment”. Abigail Aked, 23, who has campaigned for youth employment rights in the past, said the competition had hit a raw nerve with her. “Why does a huge brand like Frijj need a generic work experience boy to front their competition? I guess they didn’t want to seem to miss out on the free youth labour gravy train that businesses now believe they are entitled to. “This is just an incredibly puerile attempt to make what appears to be an in-house office joke into a marketing strategy,” she said, adding that calling a fully grown man a “boy” was “weird”. In April, Nick Clegg spoke out against the culture of unpaid internships , saying it was damaging social mobility because only the children of the rich could afford to work for free. However the prime minister, David Cameron, said he would be comfortable with offering unpaid experiences to friends and family. There are estimated to be more than 100,000 interns in the UK at any one time and a good proportion of them are believed to be unpaid or remunerated below the minimum wage. In a recent survey , 17% of managers said they took on unpaid interns to lower business costs. Dairy Crest said the competition had gone down well with their target market of 15- to 24-year-old males and that they had received 187,000 entries, “far more” than they expected. The company also apologised for causing offence. “This is a light-hearted, ‘tongue in cheek’ campaign that is meant to entertain and in no way offend any of our consumers. It was never our intention to make fun of young people looking for work,” it said. “If the promotion has caused any upset, we are very sorry indeed and can only reiterate that there was never, nor is there now, any intention for the Win Warren campaign to cause any offence.” Warren was unavailable for comment. Young people Dairy Crest Unemployment Work & careers Food & drink industry Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
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Tributes paid to Scottish justice, known for his lively judicial commentary, who passed away after a short illness Lord Rodger of Earlsferry, one of the supreme court’s two Scottish justices, has died after a short illness, opening up a vacancy on the 12-strong bench. The 66-year-old Oxford academic and former lord advocate had recently been caught up in a row over the authority of the supreme court in Scottish criminal affairs. There were generous tributes to the long-serving judge from colleagues who praised his ability and the force of his judgments. Lord Phillips, president of the supreme court, said: “For 10 years he has been a mainstay of the law lords and of the supreme court. He was an outstanding jurist and a wonderful companion. His premature death is a tragic loss to the court and to the nation.” Earlier this month Alex Salmond, the leader of the Scottish National party, launched an attack on the Westminster-based court, accusing it of “intervening aggressively” in Scotland’s independent legal system after it ruled that the Scottish system had twice breached the European convention on human rights. The Scottish cabinet has set up an expert legal group to consider how Salmond’s government can block the supreme court from its oversight of criminal cases. An appointments commission will be established in due course by the supreme court to advertise the vacancy and oversee the selection process. Rodger’s replacement will be from the Scottish judiciary. The search for a replacement comes as the House of Lords’ constitution committee begins hearings next month on the judicial appointments procedure. Peers will consider whether parliament should hold US-style confirmation hearings of supreme court justices on the grounds that their role is becoming increasingly influential. The committee will also examine concerns about judicial diversity: of 11 remaining justices, 10 are white men and only one, Baroness Hale, is a woman. None are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Rodger will be missed for his lively judicial commentary. Addressing the deportation of gay and lesbian asylum seekers last year, he observed: “Just as male heterosexuals are free to enjoy themselves playing rugby, drinking beer and talking about girls with their mates, so male homosexuals are to be free to enjoy themselves going to Kylie concerts, drinking exotically coloured cocktails and talking about boys with their straight female mates.” Cameron Ritchie, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “Lord Rodger was an eminent and distinguished figure within the Scottish legal profession. He held some of Scotland’s most distinguished positions, including lord advocate and lord president, where he demonstrated immense ability and intellect. Above all he was a great ambassador for the Scottish legal profession and someone who will be greatly missed.” The Crown Office in Scotland said the legal profession was “poorer for his passing”. Lord Hope, deputy president of the supreme court and the other Scottish justice on its bench, said: “Lord Rodger’s premature death has deprived us all of a greatly valued colleague and a much loved friend. It is a desperately sad end to a brilliant career. His contribution to the development of the law was immense. He had so much more still to give, both as a judge and to academic life both in Scotland and at Oxford.” Despite challenging the supreme court’s judgments, Salmond, said: “Lord Rodger made an outstanding contribution to public life in Scotland over many years both as a judge and as lord advocate. “He was held in the highest regard by all those who worked with him in public service, and dedicated himself to the interests of justice during a long and hugely influential career.” Born in Glasgow in 1944 and educated at Kelvinside Academy, Alan Rodger graduated in law from Glasgow University. He was a junior research fellow of Balliol and then a fellow of New College from 1970-1972. He became solicitor general for Scotland in 1989, a post he held until 1992, when he became lord advocate, a post he held until 1995. Judiciary UK supreme court Scotland House of Lords Scottish politics Owen Bowcott guardian.co.uk
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Warning of 10-year ban on entering Israel was not sanctioned by Binyamin Netanyahu, says his deputy Israel says it is rethinking its threat to bar foreign journalists from entering the country for 10 years if they board a new aid flotilla that plans to challenge the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. “[The prime minister,] Binyamin Netanyahu, heard about it on the news and asked to re-examine this issue because it’s problematic,” his deputy, Moshe Yaalon, said on Monday, referring to the warning from Israeli government’s press office (GPO) the previous day. “I know the prime minister was as surprised as I was to hear this,” he said, without disclosing who had made the decision to deliver the threat. “There’s no way to stop the media in this day and age if they [are on board] anyway. It’s better not to clash with them.” The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem described the warning, which the GPO director, Oren Helman, sent to international media organisations, as a “chilling message” that raised questions about Israel’s commitment to freedom of the press. Pro-Palestinian activists have said around a dozen ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, territory controlled by Hamas, could depart from European ports in the coming days. Israel has made clear it will enforce the blockade it says is aimed at stopping weapons from reaching Hamas. Palestinians say the blockade is illegal and is helping to strangle Gaza’s underdeveloped economy. Israeli officials have said the convoy could dock in Egypt or Israel and have its cargo of aid transferred overland to Gaza. In an email, Helman said participation in the flotilla would be “an intentional violation” of Israeli law and could result in a 10-year entry ban to Israel and the impoundment of journalists’ equipment. A year ago, nine Turkish activists, including one with dual US-Turkish nationality, were killed by Israeli soldiers who raided a Gaza-bound aid convoy and were confronted by passengers wielding clubs and knives. Netanyahu’s security cabinet discussed the new flotilla on Monday. A statement from his office said: “Israel is determined to prevent the flotilla from reaching Gaza with as little friction as possible with its passengers.” Gaza flotilla Gaza Israel Palestinian territories Hamas Middle East guardian.co.uk
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Scotland Yard to hand over documents seized from private investigator to group of public figures who are suing News Group Scotland Yard will pass documents seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who was employed by the News of the World, to a group of public figures who are suing the paper’s owner News Group over alleged phone hacking, following a high court hearing on Monday. A high court judge ordered the Metropolitan police to hand some information from the Mulcaire archive, which includes 11,000 pages of documents and 111 recordings made by the private investigator, to lawyers acting for claimants including football agent Sky Andrew and actors Steve Coogan and Jude Law. The documents covered by the judge’s order are mainly limited to billing data showing phone calls between Mulcaire and the News of the World, details of contracts, invoices or payments made to the private investigator, and further pages from the notebooks kept by him that relate directly to the claimants. That information was seized during the Met’s original investigation into phone hacking, which resulted in Mulcaire being jailed in January 2007 along with Clive Goodman, the News of the World’s former royal editor. Michael Silverleaf QC, for News Group, the News International subsidiary that publishes the News of the World, pointed out the company has already admitted the charges in most cases and argued the claimants had the evidence they needed to win damages. The Met has already shown claimants pages from Mulcaire’s notebooks that name them and list their personal information, including, in many cases, the PIN numbers used to access their mobile phone messages and names and numbers of family and friends. Further disclosure would be expensive and would not effect the sum they received in damages, Silverleaf said. But lawyers for the claimants said the new information would cast light on the extent of illegal phone hacking at the News of the World and demonstrate there was a conspiracy between Mulcaire and News Group to methodically target their clients. Hugh Tomlinson QC, for the claimants, said: “It is entirely understandable… that News Group wants to limit the disclosure, partly for the good reason that it wants to limit costs and partly for the bad reason that it wants to put a lid on the disclosure of its wrongdoing going back over the years… The admissions [News Group] is prepared to make are of a very very narrow nature.” An attempt by a number of unidentified public figures to block the release of the documents, which could cast light on the full extent of phone hacking at the News of the World, failed. Justice Vos told Andrew Caldecott QC, who was representing the unidentified group, he did not believe the release of the documents, which will be redacted to remove the names of victims not so far named, would lead to their identities being disclosed. The names of any News of the World journalists mentioned in the documents but not already made public will also be redacted to protect the ongoing police enquiry into phone hacking. The Met is concerned that potential suspects would otherwise be tipped off. Scotland Yard also resisted attempts to pass the entire Mulcaire archive to lawyers acting for the claimants, saying it would take 30 weeks to redact the documents, to ensure the names and personal details of other parties were not disclosed, at a potential cost of £180,000. A fourth person, believed to be freelance journalist Terenia Taras, was arrested last week in Leeds as part of the Met’s new phone-hacking probe Operation Weeting , which began at the start of the year. Taras is the ex-partner of Greg Miskiw, who was assistant editor (news) at the paper. Ian Edmondson, who later did the same job but was sacked in February, was arrested in April. Two more senior News of World journalists, James Weatherup and chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck, were also arrested in April. All four were later released on police bail. Five test cases will be heard at a trial set for January 2012, which is likely to be used as a basis for determining damages for other claims when News Group admits liability. They include Andrew’s case. News International is seeking to settle other claims by setting up a compensation scheme, which it claims will pay more to claimants than they are likely to receive in damages from the courts. Separately, it also agreed last week to pay damages of £20,000 to former Sky Sports commentator Andy Gray as well as his legal costs. News International also apologised in court to actor Sienna Miller last month for a sustained campaign of harassment which lead to 11 stories being published about her by the News of the World. Miller was paid £100,000 in damages and her legal costs. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook Phone hacking News of the World News International National newspapers Newspapers Newspapers & magazines Metropolitan police Glenn Mulcaire James Robinson guardian.co.uk
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Hectic scenes in Italian appeal by two of Meredith Kercher’s convicted killers as lawyers swap claims of corrupt evidence The appeal by Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito against their convictions for killing British student Meredith Kercher has taken a surreal turn with two prosecution witnesses accusing a defence lawyer of offering to pay for a witness’s sex change. In a hectic session, Rudy Guede – the Ivorian already convicted for his role in the 2007 killing – started proceedings by accusing Knox and Sollecito for the first time in court of killing Kercher, prompting Knox to rise and tell the court she was “shocked and anguished” by his accusation. “He knows we were not there and were not involved,” she said. Guede was called from Viterbo jail, where he is serving 16 years, to respond to claims by a fellow inmate that he had confided that Knox and Sollecito had played no role in the murder of Kercher, whose throat was cut in the flat she shared with Knox in Perugia. After entering the court in handcuffs and sitting 4.5 metres (15ft) from Knox, Guede read out a letter he had written to his lawyers in which he called those claims “stinking rubbish”. As well as Guede’s fellow inmate, the court has previously heard from a jailed Neapolitan mafioso, Luciano Aviello, who claimed that Kercher was killed not by the Ivorian national, Knox or Sollecito but by his own brother during a burglary gone wrong. A fellow inmate of Aviello’s called by the prosecution on Monday said mafia member had told him he had been offered €70,000 (62,400) by Giulia Bongiorno, an Italian MP and lawyer defending Sollecito, to invent the story. Cosimo Zaccari – who is in jail for fraud, libel, criminal conspiracy and receiving stolen goods – said Aviello had confided that he was “contacted to create confusion in the trial”. Zaccari – who described himself as a former police informer and restaurant owner – was followed on to the stand by Alexander Ilicet, a Montenegrin who shared a cell with Aviello and claimed his cell-mate had boasted of being offered €158,000 by Bongiorno that he had planned to use for a sex change. Francesco Maresca, a lawyer representing the Kercher family, called the statements “extremely credible” but Bongiorno said: “We are beyond the realms of the reasonable,” adding: “Not even the prosecutors appear to believe this story and I will be reporting this libel.” Madison Paxton, a childhood friend of Knox’s who was in court, accused the prosecution of resorting to unreliable witnesses. “Every time we are doing well in the trial they try something desperate, like caged animals,” she said. Amanda Knox Meredith Kercher Italy Tom Kington guardian.co.uk
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Google has received a record number of requests from 26 developed countries to reveal private information about internet users Private information about Google users was demanded by governments or police a total of 14,201 times in 26 developed countries in the last six months of last year, according to figures released for the first time by the internet giant on Monday. In an effort to highlight the amount of online censorship that exists, Google disclosed that it had received more requests from the United States than anywhere else – and that it complied with anywhere from three-quarters to more than 90% of the requests depending on which country they were made in. Google received a record 4,601 requests from the US to disclose internet users’ private data in the six months to December – a 28% increase year-on-year. The California-based company said it fully or partially complied with 94% of user data orders from the US and 72% of those from the UK. According to Google’s figures, the UK made 1,162 user data requests in the second half of last year, making it the fourth-top country for the orders, behind India, Brazil and the US. Google began releasing its half-yearly Transparency Report in April 2010 as a way to highlight state censorship of the internet. “For the first time, we’re disclosing the reasons behind requests for content removal and the percentages of user data requests we comply with, in whole or in part,” a Google spokesman said. “By moving to a country-by-country model, users can more easily see trends upward or downward, and some annotations that provide background for the numbers released. We are releasing these numbers because we believe that it is important for our users to have more information about these types of government requests.” However, Google also revealed that it complied with a request to block access to 43 YouTube videos in Thailand because they were “mocking or criticising” the king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, in violation of the country’s strict laws. The figures show that Brazil still leads the way in requesting that Google removes content from its services, with 263 orders, ahead of South Korea, Germany, Libya and India. The UK’s Office of Fair Trading requested the removal of 93,360 fraudulent Google Adwords linked to scams over the period. The majority of content removal requests from the US arise from court orders over defamation. According to the figures , six US court orders resulted in the removal of 1,110 items from the Google Groups forums over the defamation of a man and his family. Google also, for the first time, revealed that it had received no content removal requests from Chinese authorities in the latter part of 2010. Google began redirecting Chinese users to its uncensored Hong Kong site in June 2010 amid allegations of state spying. Hong Kong increased its demands for user data by 80% in the six-month period, to 90. Google complied with 59% of them. Google Data protection Search engines Internet Digital media Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk
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Yesterday Nicole Belle brought you the story of Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser’s alleged violent acts toward a fellow justice, who also happens to be female and who also doesn’t agree with him on much. Here’s an update. Justice Ann Walsh Bradley has now confirmed that Prosser did indeed put his hands around her neck, describing it as a “chokehold”. Via JSOnline : “The facts are that I was demanding that he get out of my office and he put his hands around my neck in anger in a chokehold,” Bradley told the Journal Sentinel. Sources told the Journal Sentinel two very different stories Saturday about what occurred. Some confirmed Bradley’s version. According to others, Bradley charged Prosser, who raised his hands to defend himself and made contact with her neck. She “charged Prosser”? Really? Let’s have a look at the two of them side by side. Here’s a photo. Prosser is 2nd from the left; Bradley is 3rd from the left. enlarge In the very best case, they appear to be of similar height. I have tried to imagine a scenario where his hands simply “made contact with her neck” and can’t quite get there. If he was defending himself from a charge, wouldn’t he just block her, or step out of the way? Here’s a bit more of the story, as related by JSOnline: A source who spoke to several justices present during the incident told the Journal Sentinel that the confrontation occurred after 5:30 p.m. June 13, the day before the high court’s release of a decision upholding a bill to curtail the collective bargaining rights of public employees. Six of the court’s seven justices – Justice N. Patrick Crooks was not present – had gathered in Bradley’s chambers. Some were informally discussing the decision. The conversation grew heated, and Bradley asked Prosser to leave. Bradley was bothered by disparaging remarks Prosser had made about Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, a source said. Bradley felt Prosser “was attacking the chief justice,” the source said. Before leaving, Prosser “put his hands around her neck in what (Bradley) described as a chokehold,” the source said. “He did not exert any pressure, but his hands were around her neck,” the source said. The source said the act “was in no way playful.” But another source told the Journal Sentinel that Bradley attacked Prosser. “She charged him with fists raised,” the source said. Prosser “put his hands in a defensive posture,” the source said. “He blocked her.” In doing so, the source said, he made contact with Bradley’s neck. Bradley has a different version of the story, where she describes it as a chokehold. Whatever actually happened, no one disagrees with some basic facts. One, they were in her office and there were witnesses. Two, there was a heated, angry discussion about Justice Abrahamson, who Justice Prosser had already tangled with earlier this year. Abrahamson singled out Prosser for criticism, calling his concurrence “long on rhetoric and long on story-telling that appears to have a partisan slant. Like the order, the concurrence reaches unsupported conclusions.” She said the ruling “seems to open the court unnecessarily to the charge that the majority has reached a pre-determined conclusion not based on the facts and the law… .” In March, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that, in a disagreement over a case last year, Justice Prosser had called Justice Abrahamson a “total bitch” and threatened to “destroy” her. Prosser, the paper reported, confirmed making the remarks, saying he “probably overreacted” while accusing Justices Abrahamson and Bradley of being “masters at deliberately goading people into perhaps incautious statements.” So there’s bad blood between them. Advocacy is like that, particularly with a dogmatic type like Prosser. Compare Prosser’s comment about Abrahamson and Bradley to the version of the story where her neck got in the way of his hands. Anyone who has had any experience with a physically abusive person knows these kinds of stories well. They’re the stories that go like this: “I wouldn’t have had to beat you to a pulp if you had just done [fill in the blank].” Or, “I wouldn’t have had to rape you if you’d just dressed more modestly.” These are the excuses of one who blames everyone for their own destructive acts. I might have been more willing to give Prosser the benefit of the doubt if he hadn’t, in two separate statements dealing with two separate issues, spoken the language of a serial abuser and bully. There’s a record with this guy. A long one, evidently. Not only isn’t this the first time he’s “overreacted”, but it happens to be with these two justices — Abrahamson and Bradley. In February, Bradley sent an email to the entire court, concerning his ‘bursts of anger’ and abusive attitude toward women on the court. And let’s look more carefully at what he said after confirming that he did have a temper fit and call Justice Abrahamson a bitch. “In the context of this, I said, ‘You are a total bitch,’ ” Prosser said. “I probably overreacted, but I think it was entirely . . . warranted. They (Abrahamson and Bradley) are masters at deliberately goading people into perhaps incautious statements. This is bullying and abuse of very, very long standing. ” There it is again. The guy who demeans women and possibly gets physical with them claiming he’s the bullied one. This is almost a textbook case of sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace, but I’m betting it’s not the women harassing or bullying. Why would they be the ones to call the authorities or take steps to air the grievances and clear them if they were the bullies? No, when you have the man claiming he’s a victim every single time he’s accused of victimizing others, there’s much more there than meets the eye. Think Progress has a report on the four ways this man can be removed from the court . In my view, the right thing for him to do is to step down immediately, before he renders the court dysfunctional and paralyzed. Of course, if he does, that will give Scott Walker the right to appoint his successor which from an ideological standpoint could be as bad or worse than Prosser, but hopefully he’d manage to find one who understands that men do not put their hands on women without an invitation, and that everyone should treat each other with respect, particularly those serving as arbiters of the law.
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Yesterday Nicole Belle brought you the story of Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser’s alleged violent acts toward a fellow justice, who also happens to be female and who also doesn’t agree with him on much. Here’s an update. Justice Ann Walsh Bradley has now confirmed that Prosser did indeed put his hands around her neck, describing it as a “chokehold”. Via JSOnline : “The facts are that I was demanding that he get out of my office and he put his hands around my neck in anger in a chokehold,” Bradley told the Journal Sentinel. Sources told the Journal Sentinel two very different stories Saturday about what occurred. Some confirmed Bradley’s version. According to others, Bradley charged Prosser, who raised his hands to defend himself and made contact with her neck. She “charged Prosser”? Really? Let’s have a look at the two of them side by side. Here’s a photo. Prosser is 2nd from the left; Bradley is 3rd from the left. enlarge In the very best case, they appear to be of similar height. I have tried to imagine a scenario where his hands simply “made contact with her neck” and can’t quite get there. If he was defending himself from a charge, wouldn’t he just block her, or step out of the way? Here’s a bit more of the story, as related by JSOnline: A source who spoke to several justices present during the incident told the Journal Sentinel that the confrontation occurred after 5:30 p.m. June 13, the day before the high court’s release of a decision upholding a bill to curtail the collective bargaining rights of public employees. Six of the court’s seven justices – Justice N. Patrick Crooks was not present – had gathered in Bradley’s chambers. Some were informally discussing the decision. The conversation grew heated, and Bradley asked Prosser to leave. Bradley was bothered by disparaging remarks Prosser had made about Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, a source said. Bradley felt Prosser “was attacking the chief justice,” the source said. Before leaving, Prosser “put his hands around her neck in what (Bradley) described as a chokehold,” the source said. “He did not exert any pressure, but his hands were around her neck,” the source said. The source said the act “was in no way playful.” But another source told the Journal Sentinel that Bradley attacked Prosser. “She charged him with fists raised,” the source said. Prosser “put his hands in a defensive posture,” the source said. “He blocked her.” In doing so, the source said, he made contact with Bradley’s neck. Bradley has a different version of the story, where she describes it as a chokehold. Whatever actually happened, no one disagrees with some basic facts. One, they were in her office and there were witnesses. Two, there was a heated, angry discussion about Justice Abrahamson, who Justice Prosser had already tangled with earlier this year. Abrahamson singled out Prosser for criticism, calling his concurrence “long on rhetoric and long on story-telling that appears to have a partisan slant. Like the order, the concurrence reaches unsupported conclusions.” She said the ruling “seems to open the court unnecessarily to the charge that the majority has reached a pre-determined conclusion not based on the facts and the law… .” In March, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that, in a disagreement over a case last year, Justice Prosser had called Justice Abrahamson a “total bitch” and threatened to “destroy” her. Prosser, the paper reported, confirmed making the remarks, saying he “probably overreacted” while accusing Justices Abrahamson and Bradley of being “masters at deliberately goading people into perhaps incautious statements.” So there’s bad blood between them. Advocacy is like that, particularly with a dogmatic type like Prosser. Compare Prosser’s comment about Abrahamson and Bradley to the version of the story where her neck got in the way of his hands. Anyone who has had any experience with a physically abusive person knows these kinds of stories well. They’re the stories that go like this: “I wouldn’t have had to beat you to a pulp if you had just done [fill in the blank].” Or, “I wouldn’t have had to rape you if you’d just dressed more modestly.” These are the excuses of one who blames everyone for their own destructive acts. I might have been more willing to give Prosser the benefit of the doubt if he hadn’t, in two separate statements dealing with two separate issues, spoken the language of a serial abuser and bully. There’s a record with this guy. A long one, evidently. Not only isn’t this the first time he’s “overreacted”, but it happens to be with these two justices — Abrahamson and Bradley. In February, Bradley sent an email to the entire court, concerning his ‘bursts of anger’ and abusive attitude toward women on the court. And let’s look more carefully at what he said after confirming that he did have a temper fit and call Justice Abrahamson a bitch. “In the context of this, I said, ‘You are a total bitch,’ ” Prosser said. “I probably overreacted, but I think it was entirely . . . warranted. They (Abrahamson and Bradley) are masters at deliberately goading people into perhaps incautious statements. This is bullying and abuse of very, very long standing. ” There it is again. The guy who demeans women and possibly gets physical with them claiming he’s the bullied one. This is almost a textbook case of sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace, but I’m betting it’s not the women harassing or bullying. Why would they be the ones to call the authorities or take steps to air the grievances and clear them if they were the bullies? No, when you have the man claiming he’s a victim every single time he’s accused of victimizing others, there’s much more there than meets the eye. Think Progress has a report on the four ways this man can be removed from the court . In my view, the right thing for him to do is to step down immediately, before he renders the court dysfunctional and paralyzed. Of course, if he does, that will give Scott Walker the right to appoint his successor which from an ideological standpoint could be as bad or worse than Prosser, but hopefully he’d manage to find one who understands that men do not put their hands on women without an invitation, and that everyone should treat each other with respect, particularly those serving as arbiters of the law.
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