Wisconsin judge Ann Walsh Bradley says Justice David Prosser choked her

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Daily Blotter

David T. Prosser and Ann Walsh Bradley

/ AP Photo, file

(CBS/WDJT/AP) MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Ann Walsh Bradley says Justice David Prosser choked her during an argument in her office earlier this month - a charge her colleague denies.

Bradley told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Prosser put her in a chokehold after she demanded he leave her office.

"The facts are that I was demanding that he get out of my office and he put his hands around my neck in anger in a chokehold," Bradley told the newspaper.

Prosser issued a statement saying the allegations "will be proven false" once a "proper review of the matter and the facts surrounding it are made clear."

According to CBS affiliate WDJT, Wisconsin Public Radio and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, quoting anonymous sources, have reported the altercation occurred before the Supreme Court's decision earlier this month upholding Gov. Scott Walker's bill to cut public employees' collective bargaining rights.

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by CaptainAmerika July 8, 2011 2:11 PM EDT: The recording of the altercation will be a significant factor in the investigation. Certain parties need to get their stories straight.
Assault that involves neck grabbing constitutes "strangulation" in most jurisdictions. When there are hands on the neck it is too easy to kill the person "accidentally".
His honor is on borrowed time.; Reply to this comment


by Joshren July 2, 2011 9:19 AM EDT: Never thought I'd see the day when Americans would be so mean-spirited. We act as though people deserve to be treated indecently because they "provoked" or "instigated" an attack. And worse, they deserved this behavior because of their political affiliation. This isn't a football game where the Republicans play the Democrats and I want my team to win. This is life and we're all taught to behave...
1. Treat others as you want to be treated.
2. No name-calling
3. Don't make fun of people who are different from you.; Reply to this comment


by sdcowgirl June 28, 2011 10:48 AM EDT: It sickens me that this grade school antic is being written about concerning a state Supreme Court. What the hell? We the people have very few human examples to look up to and the few we do have keep falling like flies. How sad. All involved in this should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.; Reply to this comment


by thebob-bob June 27, 2011 6:42 PM EDT: Blame the woman???? Typical Republican. Women are supposed to defer to the man, right? How dare she!

It's not the first time for this guy, either. Salon reports that "Last year, Prosser screamed at a different (female) colleague, reportedly calling her a "*****" and threatening to "destroy" her. When asked about all that, he blamed her for "goading" him into attacking her."

She must have had it coming!; Reply to this comment


by ModerateMomof2 June 27, 2011 1:45 PM EDT: I guess that updating this story with the info contained in the Journal Sentinel's story was too much trouble. You know, the part where two sources said Bradley rushed Prosser with her fists raised and he threw up his hands to ward her off. Or the part where, when Bradley claimed she was "choked", one of the Justices in the room flatly stated "You were not choked."

Yes, it seems the full story isn't needed for CBS. Just go with whatever suits your political agenda, facts be damned.; Reply to this comment


by ScottL948 June 27, 2011 11:23 AM EDT: Throttling a Judge should keep Prosser from getting a concealed weapons permit under Wisconsin's new firarms law.
I hope.; Reply to this comment

by Kev117 June 27, 2011 10:44 AM EDT

Three points...

1) He was asked to leave her office. He refused. Case closed, he's wrong.

2) She reported the assault right away to the police. The story took this long to break.

3) There are a number of whitnesses.

Reply to this comment


by munseym1 June 27, 2011 5:33 PM EDT: It isn't her office, it is the People's office. Haven't you been listening to the Wisconsin protesters for the past couple of months?


by slouise217 July 4, 2011 2:46 AM EDT: 1) Yes, he was wrong for not leaving her office when asked. But that doesn't mean that he ever intended to choke her when she charged him and got nose to nose with him, and so no, when it comes to choking her, he's not wrong!

2) She reported it to the Capitol Police Chief right away, and he did NOTHING! That's why it's almost certain that the chief determined that Prosser did nothing illegal. In Wisconsin, you don't have to retreat - you can use reasonable force to repel a perceived threat.

3) There ARE a number of witnesses, and none of them say that he charged her or approached her. All they do is repeat her claim that he put her into a chokehold, but then SHE admitted that he didn't actually choke her at all! She said that it was broken up (by someone pulling HER away) before he could actually choke her. Her claim was that he would have choked her had they not been separated. Well, that's possible, but the fact is, she didn't claim that he "almost" put her into a chokehold, and without him ever exerting any force on her neck, the fact is that he didn't actually ever have her in a chokehold. She exaggerated the threat, and we don't live in a Minority Report world.


by PrideInCountry June 27, 2011 10:17 AM EDT: I also was physically attacked by a guy in Wisconsin ... he, too, sneered for me to "prove it." Must be a Wisconsin male thing, thinking it's ok to abuse women.; Reply to this comment

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