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Privately, at the same victory party, others I talked to expected Crawford to become an attack dog, because he had absolutely nothing to savage in Butler's personal and professional record and is so obviously vulnerable in his own. Said one politico, "Some way or another, Crawford is going to introduce race into this campaign." Sure enough, Crawford's TV ads popped up heavily in the last week of the race. But rather than the race card, he played the Ament card, certainly a sign of the times. As many in the media noted, Crawford strategically decided to try to paint himself as the outsider, not the incumbent, which meant trying to paint Butler as the insider. The kicker in his ad was Crawford staring into the camera and stating that he was the enemy of "courthouse cronies." Some regarded that a subtle reference to Ament. "Subtle?" exclaimed Butler early on April 2 election night. "That was a frontal assault!" A few minutes later it didn't matter.
Butler had the strong backing of District Council 48, and just about everybody else, and earned his notable place in Milwaukee County political history. He became the first black judge ever directly elected in a contested race (as opposed to appointed by the governor) to the circuit court. The size of his victory surprised just about everyone, and he spent his victory party literally being mobbed by an assortment of well wishers representing the entire political spectrum.
But Will That Be Enough? Branch 9 has become the highest-profile primary contest among the Milwaukee County Circuit Court races. That's a little strange because it also seems to have the clearest choice.
There is one candidate with the most experience as a judge, the highest reputation for balance, the endorsement of his colleagues, law enforcement groups and diverse civic organizations, one with a fountain of admiration to draw from (public and press applause for his professional conduct on the bench and in previous elections), one with the most honors and the best credentials of legal scholarship, knowledge and proven ethics. Court watchers we've spoken to say this is the guy you want on the bench if you're the victim of a crime, or a defendant, or an attorney on either side: Judge Louis Butler Jr. But court watchers also say that, despite his high reputation and enough credentials to stuff a 200 foot tall gavel, this could be a hard battle for Judge Butler to emerge as one of the top vote-getters in the Feb. 19 primary and move on to the April 2 election. It will require an active turnout of his supporters, these insiders say. Why? Well, as our newspaper went to press, there were all sorts of rumbles that this contest could become a matter not of ability but of radio talk show nonsense, of racial code words, of last-minute television use of the big money circling this judicial race, which could emerge in attack ads or 30-second shorthand efforts at image-building. One reason for such speculation is that Branch 9 was an ugly race before. The incumbent who is also running, Robert Crawford, was a controversial figure in his original 1996 election, and his behavior since has hardly diminished the controversy.
In editorializing on the situation, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote this about Crawford last July: "His fitness to serve has been dubious from the start. He got into office by smearing a sitting judge. And once on the bench, he kept his name in the media through publicity stunts; he sentenced some defendants to wear sandwich boards announcing their crimes in public places. What's more, his obstinance in the case before the supreme court deepens doubts about his suitability for the bench even after his suspension. " Crawford was also characterized thusly in 1998 in the Milwaukee Shepherd-Express: "Crawford remains to many a white guy who won election by pricking the racial nerves in the county. " Yet Crawford is running again, and historically it is difficult to unseat incumbents. Moreover, the primary race has other contenders. There's Whitefish Bay Atty. Catherine A. La Fleur. There's Karine Moreno-Taxman of River Hills, who reportedly distressed some of her colleagues by running for judge while serving as a US Attorney, and whose entry into the race could also bring in some well-heeled contributors. Butler, in an interview in his chambers at Milwaukee Municipal Court, is eager to talk about his experience and his views of the diversity and experience needed at Circuit Court, but he stepped away from discussing personalities. Still, he is concerned, as he has long been, about campaign finance reform and the continuing issue of too much money flowing into judicial races. "Justice can't be for sale, " Butler said, "and I hope that doesn't become a problem in this race. " Butler, a graduate of Lawrence University and the University of Wisconsin Law School, continues to be flooded with awards and endorsement as he campaigns through Milwaukee County. Aside from backing from District Council 48, he has earned endorsements from Congressman Jerry Kleczka, virtually all county elected officials and city aldermen, a number of sitting judges and such organizations as the Milwaukee Deputy Sheriff's Association, the League of Martin, the AFL-CIO labor council, Milwaukee Police Supervisors, Latino Peace Officers, West Allis Firefighters, Milwaukee transit workers, Wisconsin Federation of Teachers Local 212, and Teamsters Local 200. For 14 years before he became a judge in 1992, Butler was employed by the State Public Defenders Office as an appellate lawyer, a trial lawyer and in management capacity. He has the distinction of being the first public defender in state history to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. Since 1983 he has been a frequent lecturer on criminal and municipal law. He also directed the Wisconsin Public Defender Clinical Program at Marquette Law School as an adjunct professor of law. Even without a judicial race to run, Butler is a man on the move. Any chat with him involves interruptions while he handles phone inquiries, confers with colleagues or manages court business. And sometimes there's an accidental demonstration of the importance of family. That became evident because daughter Jessica had dropped by to talk school (she's a freshman at University of Wisconsin - Madison). Butler and his wife, Irene, have another daughter, Erika, a junior at a Milwaukee public high school. If there is one trait Butler showed throughout our conversation and its interruptions, it is keeping his cool while handling everyone with attention and concern.
Since 1997 Butler has also been a faculty member for the National Judicial College. The community has recognized Butler's contributions and abilities. He has been a finalist in appointment to the federal bench; he is active in the Milwaukee Bar and the Wisconsin Association of African-America Lawyers. He is former president of the Wisconsin Municipal Judges Association. This year he's on the NAACP Board, and has previously served on the boards of Legal Action of Wisconsin and MATA Community Media. He is chair-elect of the State Bar's Individual Rights and Responsibilities section and also serves on the board of that bar's Criminal Law section. A few years ago, Milwaukee magazine named Butler "top judge" in municipal court. Those same judicial ratings placed the current incumbent at Branch 9 near the bottom of the circuit court ratings. Those who want to elevate the reputation of Branch 9, District Council 48 recommends, can do so simply by helping Butler win the primary and then the April 2 election.
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© 2002 AFSCME District Council 48 Your e-mail feedback welcome!
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