http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/rebecca-bradley-3-s5.jpgOne Wisconsin Now files ‘Cease and Desist’ Letter against Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, says she made 'false and malicious' claims about Scot Ross, the non-partisan issue advocacy organization's Executive Director, at a Dane County Bar forum last week.

MADISON, WI - An attorney working on behalf of One Wisconsin Now (OWN) and its executive director Scot Ross sent  a “cease and desist” letter to Justice Rebecca Bradley on Friday, related to false and malicious claims made by Bradley at a Dane County Bar forum last week. The letter points the Justice to several Wisconsin laws and part of the Judicial Code which prohibit or provide penalties for making this type of false and defamatory remark.

“Rebecca Bradley’s outrageous lie shows a stunning lack of judicial temperament, ethical judgement and personal decency,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “Rebecca Bradley either doesn’t know the law, or doesn’t care about the law, or both. She is entitled to have her own hateful opinions, but she is not entitled to make up her own facts.”

The Wisconsin State Journal has previously reported on a 2008 article penned by Rebecca Bradley in which she attacked the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee effort to keep candidates from producing, or benefitting from others, misleading and underhanded campaign advertising. In that article, Bradley and three fellow attorneys claimed efforts to discourage judicial candidates from running false or misleading ads was an attack on free speech and could, “…effectively prevent Wisconsin voters from obtaining the fullest information possible…”

The remarks from Rebecca Bradley came as she continues to attempt to deflect questions about her hateful and hurtful writings, both during college and during her legal career. At the event Bradley named One Wisconsin Now and then said:

"The executive director of that organization is prolific on social media using some of the most hateful, disgusting and sexist language, including – and I hope the women in Wisconsin pay attention to this – regularly using the “c word” to refer to women with whom he disagrees." - Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley

According to audio of the event, Rebecca Bradley paused specifically to emphasize “and I hope the women in Wisconsin pay attention to this” before making demonstrably false accusations regarding One Wisconsin Now’s executive director in a deliberate attempt to bring discredit upon the organization, its dedicated staff and its standing in the community.

“Rebecca Bradley is desperately trying to avoid taking responsibility for her own words by lashing out at One Wisconsin Now and at the media who have reported on her hate-filled writings,” said Jenni Dye, attorney and research director at One Wisconsin Now. ”We expect a more mature level of discourse than ‘I’m rubber and you’re glue’ from a sitting Supreme Court justice. Words are at the heart of a judge’s job, so I expect Rebecca Bradley carefully chose hers when she flat-out lied to the public.”

“How can we trust Rebecca Bradley to say what the law is, not what she wishes it was, when we can’t even trust her to say what the facts are, not what she wishes them to be?” concluded Dye.

One Wisconsin Now is being represented by Attorney Michael Maistelman of Maistelman & Associates, LLC of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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One Wisconsin Now is a statewide communications network specializing in effective earned media and online organizing to advance progressive leadership and values.