Judiciary Golf Tournaments

Jeff Mayers of Wis.Chuckleheads.com has been reporting too many unscientific polls from the links as one the other day said Brian Blanchard wants to take on first-term Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen in 2010.

More likely Blanchard wants to be a United States Attorney?

And if Obama is elected he's the odds on favorite to take the job.

Nonetheless, a recent Wis.Chuckleheads.com straw poll found that ex-AG Peg Lautenschlager, who lost in the primary in 2006, was the popular pick at the recent state Democratic Party Convention, to arm wrestle John Byron for her old job back. Other Democrats who were mentioned include state Rep. Jon Richards, DNR Secretary Matt Frank and Dane County DA Brian Blanchard. Milwaukee County DA John Chisholm is also a potential candidate.

Back to the Future

Once upon a time, Blanchard and Magistrate Judge Stephen L. Crocker, U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin and the First Assistant U.S. Attorney all worked as gnomes together in the U.S. Attorneys office in Chicago.

That was during the halcyon days of the big gang prosecution case that got thrown out because of inappropriate contact between the prosecutor's office and cooperating witnesses.

In 1991 the U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Illinois commenced prosecutions of the street gang known as the El Rukns. Two years later new trials were ordered due to prosecutorial misconduct by federal Judge Marvin E. Aspen.

The case, United States v. Boyd, 833 F. Supp.1277 (1993), is extremely interesting reading. Part of the misconduct involved a paralegal in the U.S. Attorney's office named Corinda Luchetta who engaged in phone sex with a number of the cooperating witnesses who were incarcerated at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.

Why does this matter?

Crocker was an assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago at the time of the original trial. Blanchard and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Stepehen P. Sinnott were also assistants in the same office.

Coincidentally, at some point in time in the 90s, they all worked together.

Judgement Day

While the federal judge seat in Madison held by U.S. District Judge John Shabaz, is up for grabs, the White House recently nominated Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Timothy Dugan to be U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, to replace Rudolph Randa who is retiring.

Congressman James Sensenbrenner and Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold will pick one of these finalists to replace Shabaz on the bench: Michael Brennan, Mac Davis, Stephen Meyer, Erik Peterson, and Lisa Stark.

The senators will forward their recommendations to George W. Bush, who, under the Constitution, will make the appointment, subject to the advice and consent of the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate before the end of Bush’s term.