Abrahamson is running for a new 10-year term and is challenged by Green Bay lawyer Sharren Rose. Besides preparing the case against Abrahamson, Bablitch and company have been on the phones soliciting support for Rose. The dispute ironically involves an attack on Abrahamson's attempts to make the courts more public. The grant to the counties association was to study how the courts and county government might use electronic conferencing technology to do business. By the way, the counties and courts were heavily involved with each other long before today's justices were born.
Counties supply the courtrooms, for example.
How much judges should mingle in the community has been argued at length for eons. Some argue that judges should stay aloof to avoid forming biases, others say a judge can't do the job without being part of the community. Probably her colleagues should chill out if the chief wants to hang a picture in the lobby. She should not invade other justices' computers and they shouldn't get their undies in a knot if she wants to loosen up a bit in the unoccupied chamber. In short, some perspective on both sides would be a good thing.