Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate helped found school barring gays State appeals court judge Brian Hagedorn faces chief Appeals Court Judge Lisa Neubauer in April 2 election Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT MONTHS FROM NOW, BUT THE RACE IS ALREADY UNDERWAY WITH TWO CANDIDATES HAVING ANNOUNCED THAT THEY'LL RUN FOR THE STATE'S HIGHEST COURT. APPEALS COURT JUDGE LISA NEUBAUER OF RACINE WAS THE FIRST TO DECLARE LAST MONTH. AND JUST TWO WEEKS AGO, ANOTHER APPEALS COURT JUDGE, BRIAN HAGEDORN OF OCONOMOWOC, JOINED THE RACE. WE'LL BE TALKING WITH JUDGE LISA NEUBAUER NEXT MONTH ON THIS PROGRAM. TODAY, WE ARE JOINED BY JUDGE BRIAN HAGEDORN. GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON THE PROGRAM. IS IT FAIR TO CALL YOU THE JUDICIAL CONSERVATIVE? IS THAT A MONIKER YOU ASSUME NOT BE ATTACHED TO? BRIAN: I DON'T MIND THAT LABEL SO FAR THAT THE JOB OF A JUDG IS WHAT THE LAW IS, NOT WHAT THEY THINK IT SHOUL BE. I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO CONFUSE POLITICAL CONSERVATIVE AND JUDICIAL CONSERVATIVE. MESSAGE IS PARTISAN POLITICS HAVE NO PLACE AT THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT. AND THAT WOULD EVER A JUDGE'S PERSONAL VIEWS ARE, THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A PART OF IT. I HOPE THAT IS A MESSAGE PEOPLE GET. THAT IT IS THE LAW THAT IS WRITTEN. AND THAT IS THE MESSAGE I AM RUNNING ON. MIKE: DO YOU HAVE ANY TAKE ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST SUPREME COURT RACE? WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM IT? DOESN'T AFFECT YOUR CAMPAIGN IN ANY WAY BECAUSE MICHAEL RAN ON A LOT OF THE SAME THINGS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. BRIAN: SURE, HE DID. AND SO DID JUSTICE REBECCA BRADLEY WHO ENDORSED MY CAMPAIGN AND WON. AND A NUMBER OF OTHERS WHO HAVE RUN AND ONE FOR THOSE RACES. EVERY RACE IS DIFFERENT IN EVERY POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT IS DIFFERENT. THE VOTING TURNOUT IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT. I AM RUNNING A VIGOROUS HAR FOUGHT CAMPAIGN. I HAVE GET A LOT OF SUPPORT, AND I EXPECT TO COMPETE AND WIN THIS RACE. MIKE: ARE PEOPLE PLUGGED IN ABOUT TALKING TO A RACE THAT IS NINE MONTHS AWAY? ARE THEY PAYING ATTENTION? BRIAN: SOME OF THEM ARE, BUT THERE IS A LOT OF POLITICAL OXYGEN BEI SUCKED INTO THESE RACES. PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WH IS AT STAKE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FOLKS HA THOUGHT THAT THE ROLL OF LAW MESSAGE IS THE RIGHT MESSAGE AND IS ALWAYS A SUCCESSFUL MESSAGE. THINK PEOPLE ARE UNDERSTANDING THAT W NEED TO WORK HARD AND GET THE MESSAGE OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT MESSAGE HAS THE RESOURCES BEHIND IT TO BE SUCCESSFUL. A SO, I AM GETTING A LOT OF VERY, VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT HAPPY OF THOSE WHO WANT TO SEE AN OPTIMISTIC OUTCOME. MIKE: I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS. JUST GRIDLOCK WAS A RUBBERSTAMP. YOU WERE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR. HOW DO YOU AVOID BEING HIT WITH LABEL, HE WILL BE A RUBBER STAMP FOR GOVERNOR WALKER? BRIAN: GREAT QUESTION. I WANT TO MAKE TWO POINTS. NUMBER ONE, IT IS TRUE. I HAVE A BACKGROUND DOING THAT. MY OPPONENT COMES FROM A LONG TIME DEMOCRATIC FAMILY AND GAVE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES. FORMER CHAIR, HER DAUGHTER IS A DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATOR. SO, BOTH OF US HAVE BACKGROUNDS HAVING WORKED FOR POLITICIANS, SO THE REAL QUESTION TO ASK IS, WHAT IS THE JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY YOU BRING TO BEAR? MY OPPONENT HAS SUPPORTED JUST AS ABRAHAM SEND FINANCIALLY IN THE PAST AND TALKED ABOUT RUNNING ON HER LEGS AND HER FIRST PRESS RELEASE. I THINK THE JUSTICE, AND IS VERY SMART, HAS INJECTED POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING INTO THE WORK OF THE COURT. I WHOLEHEARTEDLY PROJECT THAT AND THINK WE NEED TO GO IN A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT DIRECTION. AND MY RECORD BACKS THAT UP. I HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT IN THAT. NOBODY SHOULD LOOK AT MY RECORD AND SAY, I WILL BE A RUBBER STAMP FOR ANYBODY. IN FACT, MY MESSAGE IS, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT MY POLITICAL VIEWS ARE. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT ANYBODY'S POLITICAL VIEWS ARE. IT MATTERS WHAT THEIR JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY IS AND APPLY THE LAW AS WRITTEN. MIKE THIS WOULD BE A CURIOUS RACE IF INDEED IT IS THE TWO OF YOU. YOU WORKED TOGETHER AND SIT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. YOU WORK ON TWO THIRDS OF THE CASES TOGETHER. HOW DOES THAT WORK? HOW DO YOU RUN AGAINST SOMEONE YOU KNOW WELL AND WERE PRETTY CLOSELY WITH? BRIAN: I LIKE IT NEUBAUER. HE IS A VERY NICE PERSON AND HAS BEEN A GOOD COLLEAGUE. I THINK WE HAVE A REAL MUTUAL RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER. AND I MEAN THAT. HOPEFULLY, THAT SETS US UP FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF RACE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE CANNOT TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT COMPETING JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHIES, AND WHERE WE SEE THE COURT GOING OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS. I WILL NOT DISPARAGE HER PERSONALLY IN ANY WAY. BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A BATTLE OVER JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY THAT REALLY MATTERS. AND THE GOOD NEWS IS, AS COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE DISAGREED AND WE KNOW HOW TO DO THAT RESPECTFULLY. WE HAVE A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP, SO I HOPE THAT WE CAN TAKE THAT INTO A RESPECTFUL CAMPAIGN. MIKE: THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. WHEN WE COME BACK, THE EVOLUTION OF FOXCONN'S PLANS FOR WISCONSIN. MIKE: ONE OF THE THING

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