Althouse: "Ronald Rotunda, distinguished professor of jurisprudence at Chapman University in California, called Chisholm’s statements outrageous."

April 29, 2015

"Ronald Rotunda, distinguished professor of jurisprudence at Chapman University in California, called Chisholm’s statements outrageous."

"There is no justification for a prosecutor to do this," Rotunda said. "If you were to write a recipe to chill your political opponents, this would be it. The only different between (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and this guy (Chisholm) is Putin charges his enemies with tax fraud and sends them to Siberia."

50 comments:

rhhardin said...: Ronald Rotunda, what a great name.

The analogue would be Jennifer Mezzanine, say for a stripper choosing her stage name from among the available attractive names that suggest themselves.; 4/29/15, 11:03 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Remember the Wisconsin protests took place in the rotunda.

Meade and I have a longstanding catchphrase: "To the rotunda!"; 4/29/15, 11:07 AM
YoungHegelian said...: Under Wisconsin law, who has the power to fire Chisholm? This is not a rhetorical question.

The article just talks about various professional sanctions, but not about removal from office. How does one remove an errant DA in Wisconsin?; 4/29/15, 11:13 AM
MikeR said...: "who has the power to fire Chisholm" Good question, but not sufficient. What measures are available to punish Chisholm: What can be done within the law to deal with a prosecutor who abuses his power to attack political opponents?; 4/29/15, 11:21 AM
BarrySanders20 said...: How's about a recall?

No, those tend to backfire.; 4/29/15, 11:29 AM
Alex said...: Under Wisconsin law, who has the power to fire Chisholm? This is not a rhetorical question.

He's elected by the voters of Milwaukee county right? There is no way he's going to be ousted.; 4/29/15, 11:29 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: ...Putin charges his enemies with tax fraud and sends them to Siberia.

Chisholm can't really use the threat of sending someone from Wisconsin to Siberia. Compared to Wisconsin, Siberia is a dream vacation.; 4/29/15, 11:49 AM
Deep State Reformer said...: If the WI GOP had any smarts and nards to match, the WI Atty Gen's office would convene a grand jury and investigate and indict Chisholm for a civil rights violation. Have the Leg repeal John Doe investigations entirely while they're at it too. You GOP dopes need to learn how to use lawfare against your opposition the same as they do to you or you'll go extinct faster than a WW2 cavalry charge. But sadly, the typical conservative is nerdy pantywaist (Romney, Walker, Rubio, et alia who wants to play fair) or else a simple minded, trusting dumb-ass (like Norm Coleman) who trusts the system to do the right thing. There was something very noble about the Polish cavalry charging Nazi tanks with sabers and lances, the hopeless bravery and all, but remember, they all got mowed down too. Get real or go extinct Wisconsin GOP.; 4/29/15, 11:52 AM
Deep State Reformer said...: Yes, I know ex-Senator Coleman is from MN, but you get the idea.; 4/29/15, 11:53 AM
lemondog said...: A complaint can be made. The article indicates that it is not known whether anyone has filed a complaint against the Democratic district attorney.

John Doe Proceedings in Wisconsin

If the complaining party is not a DA, the judge shall refer it to the DA for review unless the complaint relates to the conduct of the DA in which case the complaint is referred to a special prosecutor (SP). However, the word "shall" in the context of this statute is not mandatory in all instances. The matter shall be referred to the DA only "if the four corners of the complaint provide a sufficient factual basis to establish an objective reason to believe that a crime has been committed in the judge's jurisdiction." see Naseer v. Miller, 329 Wis.2d 724 (Ct. App. 2010). This is because the intended purpose of a John Doe proceeding is to serve "both as an inquest into the discovery of crime and as a screen to prevent 'reckless and ill-advised' prosecutions." see State ex rel Reimann v. Circuit Court for Dane County, 214 Wis.2d 605 (1997).; 4/29/15, 11:54 AM
I Callahan said...: Ronald Rotunda, what a great name.

What's the name of that chick with the long hair?; 4/29/15, 11:55 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Rapunzel?; 4/29/15, 12:05 PM
ThreeSheets said...: Crystal Gayle?; 4/29/15, 12:09 PM
Mountain Maven said...: This apparatchik will not slow down Walker one bit. If this issue gains national attention, Chisholm will be revealed as a corrupt partisan hack who Walker shrugged off like a running back breaking a tackle.; 4/29/15, 12:10 PM
Stilton Cheeseright said...: Ron Rotunda... and I thought that my name was funny.; 4/29/15, 12:16 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: I Callahan said...

What's the name of that chick with the long hair?

Bruce Jenner?; 4/29/15, 12:20 PM
BarrySanders20 said...: What's the name of that chick with the long hair?

I think Peter Wolf liked the wrong but sincere Reputa.

Reputa the Beauta. Flip me down your hair and let me climb the ladder of your love! This is the wooba-gooba talkin to ya.

It was, like Chisholm's doe investigation, a song about desperation.; 4/29/15, 12:20 PM
MadisonMan said...: I agree with everyone else: What a great name! Ron Rotunda.

I hope he's not fat. Rotund Ron Rotunda.; 4/29/15, 12:25 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: It does raise the interesting question, could Chisholm be disbarred?; 4/29/15, 12:27 PM
Marc in Eugene said...: RR is not rotund, no.; 4/29/15, 12:34 PM
Roughcoat said...: Yeah, "Ron Rotunda" is wonderful name. Speaking of which, what about "Heathcliff"? I mean, seriously. Always makes me think of Red Skelton doing the seagulls, "Gertrude and Heathcliff."; 4/29/15, 12:35 PM
Deep State Reformer said...: Mountain Maven
"This apparatchik will not slow down Walker one bit. If this issue gains national attention, Chisholm will be revealed as a corrupt partisan hack who Walker shrugged off like a running back breaking a tackle."
4/29/15, 12:10 PM

Unlike the 1939 Polish Cavalry, MM Walker might well "survive" Chisholm and the Blue Deep State onslaught, but the damage their lawfare does, the chilling effect it has on donors and activists alike, is incalculable. That you and others don't or can't see the "long war" angle is why, despite all the GOP's short-term tactical victories, they end up losing the war.; 4/29/15, 12:38 PM
William said...: Ronald Rotunda would only work as a name if he's portly, has a bald spot, and uses too many big words in his circumlocutions. If he's a skinny guy with a forelock and a gift for pithy expressions, he should change his name.; 4/29/15, 12:47 PM
bleh said...: Why would Chisholm bother to say that without actually researching Iowa's criminal code? Why speculate?

The fact that he "strongly suspects" something tells me immediately that he didn't bother to do five minutes of Internet research. He was just lashing out and bullshitting.; 4/29/15, 12:49 PM
SteveR said...: Garage Mahal, unremarkable blogger troll in Wisconsin disagrees with Ronald Rotunda.; 4/29/15, 12:52 PM
Matt Sablan said...: *Insert joke about the accusations regarding Romney's non-payment of taxes*; 4/29/15, 1:03 PM
MadisonMan said...: The article quotes both the greatly-named Prof. Rotunda (Kudos to him for getting a *tag*!) and Peter Margulies (what a *blah* name) from Roger Williams U in Bristol RI.

How did the author arrive at these two experts?; 4/29/15, 1:10 PM
MadisonMan said...: (Ronald Rotunda looks a lot like Bill Nye the Science Guy); 4/29/15, 1:12 PM
alan markus said...: "who has the power to fire Chisholm" Good question, but not sufficient. What measures are available to punish Chisholm: What can be done within the law to deal with a prosecutor who abuses his power to attack political opponents?

Don't think anything can be done, except for the following:

1) Guy seems pretty thin-skinned - article like this must have him crapping sideways today. Keep up the onslaught - he can't take it.

2) Continue to shine a light on his antics - hurt his chances of running for a higher office or getting a judicial appointment.

3) Milwaukee County has one of the highest African American male incarceration rates in the nation (article linked below). Imagine all those prisoners and ex-cons (and their associated families, friends, etc.) convinced that perhaps they had been unfairly treated by the likes of Chisholm. Maybe a few prison riots demanding his ouster would help him make a career change.

Wisconsin’s Mass Incarceration
of African American Males:
Workforce Challenges for 2013; 4/29/15, 1:20 PM
Curious George said...: "The only different between (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and this guy (Chisholm) is Putin charges his enemies with tax fraud and sends them to Siberia."

If your lucky. If not, you get shot.; 4/29/15, 1:20 PM
Sam L. said...: One can certainly say Chisholm's comments/statements impugn any claim to impartiality.; 4/29/15, 1:22 PM
clint said...: Yes, yes. He's a horrible human being and abusing his authority with impunity.

If there is no legal recourse against abuses of power like this, the legislature needs to fix that.

If there is a legal recourse against abuses of power like this, someone needs to avail themselves of that recourse.

Five years of appeals winding their way through the courts while Chisholm continues to abuse his power through election after election is not acceptable.; 4/29/15, 1:30 PM
Deep State Reformer said...: Clint, you are wrong.

Legal recourse: Investigate & indict him. Let him defend. Let him and his cronies, enablers, and allies fear the midnight door crash.

Chisholm will either resign, knock off the lawfare go back to prosecuting actual common law felonies, or hang himself. All three outcomes solve the problem.

And as long as Walker is currently governor and the leg is majority GOP, CHANGE THE FUCKING LAWS to make the play tilt more in our direction, rather than theirs.

The only conservative to actually try a hands on approach to dealing with the race hustlers, progs, and union labor was Justice Processor, when tried to strangle Bradley.; 4/29/15, 1:43 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: According to this, Ronald Rotunda married Marcia Mainland in 1969, but later married Kyndra Miller who then becam Kyndra Rotunda.

Wow! You couldn't make this up if you tried!; 4/29/15, 2:00 PM
Gabriel said...: @William:If he's a skinny guy with a forelock and a gift for pithy expressions, he should change his name.

Lots of big guys and fat guys are called "Tiny".; 4/29/15, 2:08 PM
Philip K. Miles said...: Ronald Rotunda taught my Con Law I class when I was at George Mason (~2007). Because it seems to be a topic of conversation in this thread... he was a short, skinny man with glasses, and he wore bow ties every day. Very dry sense of humor. I seem to recall that he had some input in W's Gitmo model for dealing with suspected terrorists (but don't quote me on that).; 4/29/15, 3:39 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Can the voters recall Chisholm?; 4/29/15, 4:25 PM
alan markus said...: Can the voters recall Chisholm?

Yes, they can, but they won't

Results Milwaukee County:

2012 Recall: 63% Barrett (D)/36% Walker (R)

2014 Election: 63% Burke (D)/36% Walker (R)

I suspect the voters in Milwaukee County are quite satisfied with Chisholm's performance.; 4/29/15, 4:34 PM
Bob Boyd said...: @alan markus

Gotcha. Too bad. Thanks.

Maybe somebody could get him with a cream pie.; 4/29/15, 4:58 PM
sean said...: If only a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School had that kind of courage and integrity, to criticize a government official. Diogenes would be walking all night in Madison.; 4/29/15, 5:04 PM
Deep State Reformer said...: What wankers some of you are. There are things that can and should be done to neutralize Chisholm but you want to make fun of some guy's surname name. People get the political leadership they deserve.; 4/29/15, 5:12 PM
SteveR said...: @KK Kraska -you must not be around here for very long, sometimes we have fun, cruel, I know.; 4/29/15, 5:18 PM
Michael K said...: "If there is no legal recourse against abuses of power like this, the legislature needs to fix that."

Look at the drunken DA in Texas. Apparently, the Texas legislature has left her alone.; 4/29/15, 7:15 PM
Chris N said...: Mezzanine came on after Bobbi Balconi but before Chesty LaRue.

Toid Toisday of every munth; 4/29/15, 7:36 PM
MikeR said...: For the record, I agree w Kraska. I'm in favor of tarring and feathering corrupt officials. If you won't let me do that, so whichever weapons are available should be used.
That's what you _do_ to people who are trying to hurt other people. It makes it worse if they are in a position of power, not better.; 4/29/15, 10:19 PM
jr565 said...: he's threatening to criminalize criticism of his investigation? He must be a lefty. That's how they roll.; 4/29/15, 11:03 PM
MadisonMan said...: you want to make fun of some guy's surname name

Can a surname be anything other than a name?

How is noting the splendid mellifluousness of a name making fun of it?; 4/30/15, 6:57 AM
Meade said...: Ronald Sue Bee Honey. Now that would be mellifluous.; 4/30/15, 7:14 AM
Bryan C said...: "How does one remove an errant DA in Wisconsin?"

First you tell them to resign. If they decide to opt-out of the gentlemanly approach, one gets together a group of likeminded individuals, drags the scoundrel from his office with the greatest level of humiliation possible, and forcibly escorts them across the state line.

That's the polite way, at least.; 4/30/15, 9:21 AM
bbkingfish said...: Rotunda sounds like just another hyperventilating GOPer.

They should have nothing to fear, if they have nothing to hide. (I think that's what a Republican normally says when non-Republicans go bellyaching about being unfairly investigated.)

Plus, investigators may uncover felonious activity, like they did in the last John Doe investigation of Walker's shenanigans, when close Walker associates from his Milwaukee County administration proved to be crooks.; 4/30/15, 1:44 PM