(The Center Square) – Voters are going to get a chance to hear directly from the two judges who want to be Wisconsin’s next Supreme Court justice.
Both conservative Judge Brad Schimel and liberal Judge Susan Crawford on Thursday agreed to a debate. The two will answer questions on the same stage, at the same time.
Schimel’s campaign said the debate will be a chance for voters to see who is who.
“There are clear differences between the two candidates and voters deserve this opportunity to hear directly from each candidate. We look forward to highlighting those differences,” the campaign said.
Crawford’s campaign said pretty much the same thing.
“Voters deserve an opportunity to hear from both candidates, and on stage, they will hear directly from Judge Crawford about her experience protecting our communities, her commitment to common sense and impartiality, and her dedication to protecting the rights and freedoms of all Wisconsinites,” her campaign added.
But there are growing questions in some circles about Crawford’s “experience protecting our communities.”
There have been a series of recent reports about Crawford’s time on the bench in Madison and some of the sentences that she handed down.
Those include the 2019 case of Antonio Gentry, who was on trial for shooting a man in the head. Prosecutors recommended a total of 50 years in prison, but Crawford sentenced Gentry to 30 and gave him a chance to get out early on parole.
“I’m going to impose a sentence, I believe, that eventually will allow you to re-enter the community. You will be an older man at the time you re-enter the community when you are on extended supervision,” Crawford said at the time.
There’s also the two cases involving Kevin Weston. He was charged in 2018 with the felony sexual assault of a child.
Weston could have been sentenced to up to 100 years in prison for the sexual assault of a two children under the age of 8. Crawford sentenced him to four years in prison.
Weston is now out of prison and is reportedly living just minutes from a school in New London, Wisconsin.
There’s also the 2022 case against Curtis O’Brien. Prosecutors charged him with the repeated sexual assault of a child, when the child was 5 years old.
Crawford, as a Dane County judge, allowed O’Brien out on a $500 signature bond. Eventually, O’Brian was sentenced to four years in prison, but was released in two.
Matt Batzel, the National Executive Director with American Majority, said the cases are the exact opposite of Crawford’s claims of “protecting our communities.”
Batzel said there’s clearly a pattern of Crawford being lenient on the bench.
“Susan Crawford is soft on crime. She has a pattern of going easy on violent criminals. Her record has made Wisconsin communities less safe. She doesn’t have the judgment necessary to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”
Crawford and Schimel will debate March 12 on WISN TV in Milwaukee. The debate will be shared statewide.