Siren Tornado: June 18 2001
From the National Weather Service: “At 806 pm on June 18th, 2001, an F3 tornado touched down 2 miles east-northeast of Grantsburg, Wisconsin. The tornado continued east through the towns of Alpha, Falun, and eventually Siren around 820 pm. The tornado continued to travel east to 14 miles east of Siren. The most extensive damage was in a 6 block wide area in Siren, where numerous homes were leveled. There was also extensive structural damage to many buildings. The average width of the tornado was 1/8 to 1/4 mile, with the widest width being about a half mile. Preliminary indications are that the path length of the tornado was about 27 miles. Two people died as a direct result of the tornado, with another person killed indirectly after the tornado. In all, there were 16 injuries as a result of the tornado.”
- Courtesy Wisconsin Emergency Management
Lisa Neubauer Concedes Wisconsin Supreme Court Race To Brian Hagedorn
Wisconsin Appeals Judge Lisa Neubauer, who was backed by Democrats, conceded Wednesday in the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court. Neubauer issued a statement, saying she called her opponent, conservative Appeals Judge Brian Hagedorn, and “wished him the best.”
Unofficial results from the April 2 election showed Hagedorn with a half-percentage point lead, and the race was too close to call. Neubauer indicated she would request a recount, something her campaign would have had to pay for. In conceding, Neubauer admitted that the official canvass of the vote would not measurably change the outcome.
My statement on our historic victory. #SCOWIS
Justice Brian Hagedorn
Original Story April 3
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race is up in the air. Tuesday’s election between conservative Appeals Judge Brian Hagedorn and Appeals Judge Lisa Neubauer, who was backed by Democrats, was too close to call by Wednesday morning, with Hagedorn holding a 5,800 vote margin with nearly 100 percent of the unofficial vote tallied. More than 1 million votes were cast.
Hagedorn declared victory Wednesday morning, calling the half-point difference “insurmountable.” But, the margin allows the trailing candidate to request a recount.
Judge Lisa Neubauer
UW-Milwaukee professor emeritus Mordecai Lee says recounts rarely change things significantly.
Somerset Tire Fire: Oct 18 1986
From the Department of Natural Resources:
“In October 1986, a massive waste tire fire in Somerset consumed millions of tires and burned for weeks. It was estimated that approximately 15 to 20 million waste tires were stockpiled in the state at that time. The tires were being stockpiled to avoid landfill costs, because many landfills were not accepting them for disposal anymore or because property owners where the tires were stored thought old tires would one day have re-sale or reuse value.
“In May 1988, these issues spurred the state Legislature to pass a law creating a Waste Tire Removal and Recovery Program in the DNR.”
- Courtesy Wisconsin Emergency Management
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Columbia County Flooding: 1993
Damage to the Cambria Dam, July 1993. From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: “Wisconsin experienced severe flooding on numerous rivers and record flooding on the Black River in Jackson and La Crosse Counties. Numerous dams were overtopped and several failed. Damages reported exceeded $900 million dollars.”
- Courtesy Wisconsin Emergency Management
Supreme Court Race Heats Up
Last-minute infusion of cash could buoy Hagedorns chances
Its all over but the voting.
Next Tuesday, April 2, one of two state appeals court judges Brian Hagedorn or Lisa Neubauer will win a 10-year term to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in a race that could shape the ideological balance of the court for years to come.
As of early this week, Neubauer appeared to be the clear frontrunner.
I expect her to win and potentially by a large margin, Barry Burden, a UW-Madison professor of political science and director of its Elections Research Center, said in an interview last week. He speculated that the decision of outside conservative groups not to invest in Hagedorns campaign tells me that they have concluded that the campaign is in trouble, and dont want to throw good money after bad.
That was before the Republican State Leadership Committee announced Tuesday that it plans to spend at least $1 million on Hagedorns behalf.
In years past, conservatives have repeatedly ridden to court victory with major help from outside special-interest groups. But last year, despite significant spending by these groups, the more-or-less avowedly liberal Rebecca Dallet prevailed over an opponent who, like Hagedorn, is extremely conservative with close ties to Republicans. That was followed last fall by the election of all five Democratic contenders for state constitutional offices, including Gov. Tony Evers over two-term incumbent Scott Walker.
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Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak: April 11 1965
Residential tornado damage in Monroe, Wis. From the National Weather Service:
“The Palm Sunday Tornado outbreak occurred on April 11-12, 1965, across the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. 47 Tornadoes , wrecked havoc upon the land. It is the third deadliest tornado outbreak on record with 261 deaths, trailing the Super Outbreak which killed 315, and the March 18, 1925 outbreak which spawned the infamous Tri-State Tornado which killed 747.
“The April 11-12th 1965 Tornado outbreak across the upper Midwest and Great Lakes marked a watershed moment in weather history. Due to the tragic loss of life and catastrophic damage that was observed in a following National Weather Service Storm Survey, a list of recommendations was formulated and eventually instituted.”
- Courtesy Wisconsin Emergency Management
Definitely Not A Good Result In The Judge Race
| The statewide lower turnouts races are hard to win. Locally in Eau Claire county, a blue island in a purple-red area, Neubauer got 58% of the vote and 4 of 5 progressive city council candidates won, including the first openly trans elected official in WI history. But we can’t afford anything less than a full court press from now till 2020, and that’s true nationally too.We put the work in locally, knocked on 12,000 doors in a city of 65,000. And we still took some losses. It shows us what it will take to win the presidency and Senate in 2020. 110% effort, starting now! |
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The liberal Greater Wisconsin Political Fund has spent weeks running ads on Neubauer’s behalf, attacking Hagedorn for comments he made on a personal blog and for his support of a Christian school that bans homosexual activity.
Hagedorn got a financial boost this week when the Republican State Leadership Committee announced a seven-figure ad buy supporting him.
But Hagedorn said there’s a reason liberal groups like Holder’s are supporting his opponent.
“They want to take over the Supreme Court because they want to politicize it,” Hagedorn said. “They want the court to be a part of their political agenda. And they think Judge Neubauer is exactly the person for the job.”
Neubauer has sought to distance herself from the outside groups, promising to recuse herself from any cases involving Holder.
She also steers clear of many of the buzzwords candidates use to hint at their political leanings. She won’t even say who she considers her most influential Supreme Court justices.
“To the extent people want to understand sort of where I come from, what my philosophy is, I ask that they judge me based upon my record,” Neubauer said.
Hagedorn’s campaign argues Neubauer’s statements conceal her true intentions on the court, and leave voters guessing about what kind of a justice they’d be getting if she’s elected.
But former state Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske said Neubauer is running what she’d consider an historically typical judicial race.
Oakfield Tornado: July 18 1996
From the National Weather Service: “A violent tornado struck the village of Oakfield at about 1815CST after it touched down 4 miles WNW of the village. During its approach on Oakfield it intensified to a F3 rating. When it tore through the village it intensified to a F4, but along its path 1 to 4 miles east of the village it intensified to F5 strength .
“In this span 4 homes were completely swept clean off their foundations and a couple automobiles became airborne missiles for a distance of about 400 feet. The core width of the most intense damage was about 150 to 200 yards, although at times, some secondary damage was observed in a 400 yard wide path Oakfield residents heard local sirens about 8 minutes before the torando entered the village.
“Miraculously, no one was killed, but there were 12 injuries.”
- Courtesy Wisconsin Emergency Management
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Campaign #146 Is For Judge Lisa Neubauer In Wisconsin
Remember last year when #PostcardsToVoters-supported candidate Judge Rebecca Dallet won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court by double digits? It was reported as a bad omen for Scott Walker and the WI GOP. After all, it was the first time in 23 years that a Democratic candidate won an open seat on that highest state court.
Now, we are going to have more time, with more volunteer writers, and a longer list of terrific Democratic voters to boost winning turnout for Judge Lisa Neubauer.
Excerpted from a column by Dan ODonnell
Control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is on the line as Court of Appeals Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer takes on the Republican candidate in the race to replace retiring Justice Shirley Abrahamson . Replacing Abrahamson, one of the courts three liberal justices, would not immediately swing the courts balance of power one way or another. But if Neubauer wins, it would be highly likely that liberals take a 4-3 majority when conservative Justice Dan Kelly runs for re-election in the spring of 2020. Kelly has the extreme misfortune of appearing on the same ballot as the literally dozens of Democratic presidential candidates who are already lining up for a chance to take on President Trump.
Neubauers campaign manager, Tyler Hendricks, in a public statement said: We are seeing record levels of support across the board, including endorsements from more than 320 current and former judges, and a bipartisan group of 50 district attorneys and 25 sheriffs.
How Big Money Has Eroded A Core Democratic Institution
Photo by Mike Steele | Flickr CC BY 2.0
It barely rated a mention in the news when, on June 28, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order relieving Court of Appeals Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer of her leadership duties.
Neubauer ran for the Supreme Court in 2019 with the support of Democrats and progressives, in an election won by a razor-thin margin by conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn.
The bland-sounding order ending her tenure as chief judge made it seem as though, since Neubauers second term had expired, after six years of service, replacing her was a routine matter. The new chief judge, William Brash, will start on August 1, the Court announced.
But, in an email objecting to Neubauers removal, Justices Ann Walsh Bradley, Rebecca Frank Dallet and Jill Karofsky pointed out that never before has this court limited the number of terms that can be served as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals.
Nuebauers predecessor served eight years as chief, and each of the two chief judges before him served nine years, the justices added in their email. They also objected to the timing and lack of process employed by a majority of this court in the appointment process and said they had not had an opportunity to weigh in.
It sort of smells like retribution, doesnt it? says a source close to the Court.
It’s not how we want democratic institutions to work. Its a little Banana Republic-y.
Attorney Jeffrey Mandell
How did we get here?
Retired Dane County Judge Richard Niess
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Supreme Court Candidate Lisa Neubauer Stresses Judicial Experience Downplays Democratic Ties
- Thursday, March 28, 2019, 5:15am
Almost every candidate tries to stay on message when they run for statewide office. Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Neubauer is no exception.
During a recent state Supreme Court debate with appeals court Judge Brian Hagedorn, it wasn’t hard to guess which points Neubauer wanted the audience to remember.
“My record shows that I am tough but fair,” Neubauer said to begin the debate. “I am fair, impartial and independent.”
“We have to have our next justice be fair, impartial, independent,” Neubauer said moments later.
That was just during her opening statement.
Neubauer repeated some variation of “tough, independent and fair” at least a dozen times during that debate.
She drove home other points, too. For more than a decade, she said, she has been a judge, and she has endorsements from the vast majority of judges throughout Wisconsin.
“Over 98 percent of the judges endorsing this race are supporting me,” Neubauer said. “And they are willing to support me publicly.”
Neubauer and Hagedorn are both vying for the seat being vacated by retiring Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
While the race is officially nonpartisan, Hagedorn worked previously as former Gov. Scott Walker’s chief legal counsel, and Neubauer’s ties to the Democratic Party run deep. Her daughter, Greta Neubauer, is a Democratic state representative. Her husband, Jeff Neubauer, is a former lawmaker who once ran the state Democratic Party.
Amtrak Train Derailment: Oct 9 1986
Twelve cars of an Amtrak passenger train derailed at about 12:20 p.m. in Fall River, killing a crewman and injuring more than 30, according to media reports. The train was carrying more than 200 passengers from Seattle to Chicago. The National Transportation Safety Board found that the railroad’s procedures for crossing trains over on mail line tracks “defeated the protection of the signal system.”
- Courtesy Wisconsin Emergency Management
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Ladysmith Tornado: Sept 2 2002
From the National Weather Service:
“Two tornadoes struck Marathon County during the evening of Labor Day, 2002. The strongest of the two, an F1 tornado, hit just north of Wausau in central Marathon County. The twister flattened two barns, heavily damaged six homes, and caused varying degrees of damage to 25 others. Hundreds of trees were snapped and uprooted in the area affected by the storm. The Wausau tornado hit at 6:35 pm and was on the ground for at least five miles, before lifting off shortly before 6:45 pm.”
“A Tornado Warning was issued by the NWS Green Bay office at 6:07 pm, 28 minutes before the Wausau tornado hit.”
“The tornadoes and severe storms developed ahead of a strong cold front, which moved across Wisconsin on Labor Day. The same front produced the strong tornado near Ladysmith in northwest Wisconsin.”
- Courtesy Wisconsin Emergency Management
Significant rainfall caused flash flooding in Milwaukee in 1986.
- Courtesy Wisconsin Emergency Management
Neubauer’s Deep Democratic Ties
Some of Neubauer’s strong Democratic ties were hashed out in her 2008 race against another liberal candidate for the appeals court.
Neubauer was an aide to longtime Democratic Sen. Fred Risser of Madison and was an assistant Midwest coordinator for Gary Hart’s 1984 presidential campaign.
Her husband was a Democratic lawmaker for four terms, state chairman for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 and a member of a Democratic National Committee.
Combined, Neubauer and her husband have given $105,000 to liberal and Democratic candidates and causes. Neubauer herself had given $8,800 to Doyle, the governor who appointed her to the bench.
In the current contest, she has the backing of many liberal groups, including the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
Her daughter Greta Neubauer is now a Democratic member of the state Assembly.
“For Lisa Neubauer, Democratic politics is the family business,” said Stephan Thompson, a campaign aide to Hagedorn. “With over $100,000 in donations to left-wing candidates helping pave the way to power and influence, theres no questioning Neubauers allegiances.”
Conservatives didn’t always see her that way.
In 2008, Rick Esenberg, head of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, endorsed Neubauer, with whom he had previously worked at the Foley & Lardner law firm.
Michael Grebe, the onetime Republican National Committee general counsel, also served as a reference when she was appointed to the appellate court bench.
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Holder Others Rile Up Democratic Base
Neubauer is taking this nonpartisan approach while others are firing up the Democratic base on her behalf.
A group led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the National Democratic Redistricting Committee is campaigning here, as it did in Wisconsin’s 2018 Supreme Court race.
During a recent visit to Madison, Holder said he didn’t worry that his support for Neubauer would undercut her nonpartisan message.
“It’s not as if Republicans aren’t doing the same thing,” Holder said. “It’s not as if business groups aren’t pouring tons of money into these races. I’m just dealing with the reality of the situation. So, you know, I’m proud to be here and I’m proud to support Lisa.”
In the early going of this race, Republican groups weren’t supporting Hagedorn to the degree that liberal groups were backing Neubauer, which is a rarity for state Supreme Court campaigns.
Meet Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer
Im running because I care about making sure our courts keep our communities safe and uphold the rule of law.
Now, more than ever, we need our courts to protect the rights of all Wisconsinites and the fundamental principles of our democracy.
As Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, Judge Neubauer has spent more than a decade protecting women and children from abusers, and making sure that victims and their families receive justice.
With more than 30 years as a leader in the law, Lisa Neubauer has the proven track record of competence and experience we need.
Judge Neubauer was elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2014. She was the Presiding Judge in her district of the Court of Appeals from 2009 through 2015. The Wisconsin Supreme Court appointed her to serve as the Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in 2015, and re-appointed her in May 2018.
Judge Neubauer also has decades of experience as a Wisconsin litigation attorney prior to becoming a judge. She was a partner at Foley and Lardner LLP and chair of the firms Insurance Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She co-chaired the firms national recruiting committee.
Before joining the Court of Appeals in 2008, Judge Neubauer was named to 2007 and 2008 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, and named to 2006 and 2007 lists of Wisconsin Super Lawyers.
Judge Neubauer served as a law clerk for Barbara Crabb, then-Chief Judge of the United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin.
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