"It is fortunate, indeed, for every other citizen of this great State who is interested in the protection of fundamental liberties that the special prosecutor chose as his targets innocent citizens who had both the will and the means to fight the unlimited resources of an unjust prosecution."

"Further, these brave individuals played a crucial role in presenting this court with an opportunity to re-endorse its commitment to upholding the fundamental right of each and every citizen to engage in lawful political activity and to do so free from the fear of the tyrannical retribution of arbitrary or capricious governmental prosecution."

I wanted to highlight that passage from the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision ending the John Doe investigation. There is much more from the opinion in my earlier post.

My paraphrase: Thanks to the brave few who fight for their rights. They benefit everyone, including those of us who'd cave to the forces of overbearing government. The court appreciates the opportunity to say what rights are, so that the timid as well as the brave can experience freedom.

ADDED: My paraphrase is skewed toward issues character — timidity and bravery. But Justice Gableman wrote "the will and the means." It's not just: Thank God these people were brave enough to fight. It's also: Thank God these people were rich enough to fight. The rights established by litigation by those with the means to fight are enshrined in doctrine that protects the rest of us. The critic will (of course) say that the rights the courts manage to find are the rights that are useful to the wealthy.