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| Home Front: Politix | |
| Democrat candidate wins WI court poll | |
| 2011-04-06 | |
US Democratic nominee JoAnne Kloppenburg has claimed victory in Wisconsin Supreme Court election which is seen as a de facto referendum on an unpopular anti-union law.
Republicans have nominated conservative David Prosser, the incumbent since 1998, while Democrats and union organizations backed Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg. "We owe Justice Prosser our gratitude for his more than 30 years of public service," said Kloppenburg, adding that "Wisconsin voters have spoken." "I will be independent and impartial and I will decide cases based on the facts and the law," she promised. Kloppenburg's victory resonates a high level of dissatisfaction among people in the cash-strapped state and bodes ill for Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker, whose controversial law to curb the labor unions' collective bargaining right is in limbo awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court's judge. The outcome would tip the balance in favor of Democrats as legal challenges to Walker's budget reforms are expected to reach the state court in the coming weeks. On February 25, Wisconsin's State Assembly passed the disputed bill to restrict the state's Labor union in a move that triggered huge public protests at the State Capitol in Wisconsin and several other states. Walker, who has been beset by mounting criticism over his plans to lay off thousands of public servants, says the budget bill would trim Wisconsin's structural deficit by 90 percent to $250 million. On Thursday, a circuit court issued a temporary restraining order against Walker's plan, stating that the order will stand for at least two months until the thorny issues surrounding the case are resolved in court. Commenting on the unofficial results of the election, Prosser, a former Republican leader of the Wisconsin legislature, has said there was "little doubt" there would be a recount with the vote. | |
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