Regulations and Procedures

1. There is hereby established a Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee, (the “Committee”) consisting of (7) voting members to be appointed by the President of the State Bar of Wisconsin, who shall serve as the nonvoting chair of the Committee. A majority of the voting Committee members shall be non-lawyers. The members shall serve a term of 3 years and shall be eligible for reappointment. The Committee shall monitor advertising in elections for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and may monitor advertising in elections for other judicial elections, as directed by the Chair.
2. The President of the State Bar of Wisconsin or his or her designee shall serve as the non-voting Chair of the Committee. The Committee shall have the authority to elect a Vice-Chair, Secretary, and other Committee officers as it may deem necessary. The officers will have the duties and powers normally incident to such offices plus such others as decided by the Committee.
3. No voting or non-voting member of the Committee shall, during the period of his or her membership on the Committee, make any contribution to, or actively participate in any way in promoting the election campaign of any candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court or promote the effort of any person to be appointed to fill a judicial vacancy to that court. A member of the Committee may attend events or activities, such as debates or candidate forums, where all candidates for a specific judicial office are invited. A member of the Committee shall not attend an event sponsored solely on behalf of a specific candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
4. Only the Chair or his/her designee may communicate with the press or issue statements on behalf of the Committee. Deliberations, discussions and records of the Committee shall be confidential and the individual remarks of Committee members shall not be divulged to anyone other than to other Committee members.
5. The presence of a quorum of a majority of voting members is required in order for the Committee to act officially. No public announcement shall be authorized except by a vote of at least a majority of members of the Committee present or by conference call at the meeting of the Committee. Proxies shall not be allowed for any purpose.
6. The Purpose and Objectives, Regulations and Procedures, and other written materials related to the Committee will be presented and explained to each candidate for election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and he/she will be asked to execute an agreement to the Guidelines set forth herein expressing his/her willingness to follow them in the campaign.
7. Meetings of the Committee shall be held as needed during the election cycle for statewide judicial elections. For purposes of these regulations, election cycle is the period of time defined in the Wisconsin Statutes for purposes of soliciting and receiving contributions for a judicial campaign.
8. Meetings may be called by the Chair or any 3 members of the Committee.
9. Notice of Committee meetings may be made by any form of written, oral or electronic communication; however, failure to notify a Committee member in any manner shall not invalidate an action of the Committee.
10. Meetings of the Committee, including by conference call or other electronic means, shall be at such place as determined by the Chair of the Committee.
11. The Committee will consider matters pertaining to judicial advertising of which it becomes aware, from any source. Judicial advertising shall be considered any statements and campaign materials pertaining to a candidate issued by a candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court or independent campaign committee or other third party, including newspaper, radio or television advertising, website or other electronic communication, press releases, brochures, fliers, sample ballots, yard signs, or other printed material, intended to influence the outcome of a judicial election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court or applicable judicial office.
12. The Committee may take action on its own initiative or upon complaint. If the Committee chooses to take action on its own initiative or decides that reasonable cause exists to investigate a complaint, it will notify the candidate’s committee that is the subject of the matter or complaint and the committee of the candidate’s opponent. If the matter or complaint is with regard to an advertisement sponsored by an independent campaign committee or other third party, the Committee will notify the candidate or candidates who are the subject of such advertisement as well as the independent committee or third party itself. Action on the matter or complaint will be within the sole discretion of the Committee. The Committee may ask the candidate to withdraw any particular ad or statement or the committee may take such other action as it deems appropriate, such as asking a candidate to publicly repudiate a particular third-party ad or statement