Contact: Amanda L. Brink
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @BurnsforWI
Website: www.BurnsForWisconsin.com
Madison, WI – This morning, Dallet for Justice released a digital ad that intentionally or recklessly mischaracterizes Tim Burn’s experience as a public servant. The spot, which the Dallet campaign said would reach a targeted statewide audience. In the ad Judge David Swanson says Tim Burns has never served as a public servant. This statement is untrue. Tim Burns spent a year serving as a clerk on the United States 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Tim is the only candidate in this race with experience working on an appellate court. This information is not secret, and is easily available on the Perkins Coie website.
But the untruthful hit job doesn’t stop there. The ad also features a quote from Law 360, discussing Tim’s capital murder trial from almost 20 years ago, when he says “I had very little experience with the criminal justice system at the time.”
Judge Dallet knows or should have known these statements are untrue, and featuring these statements in a public ad by her campaign is a clear violation of the code of judicial conduct. See SCR 60.06 section C. As such it is Judge Dallet’s responsibility to pull the ad immediately.
Below is a quote from Amanda Brink, campaign manager for Burns:
“This tactic is ripped straight from the Scott Walker playbook, and unfortunately this is just business as usual for Judge Dallet’s campaign, a desperate candidate who will say anything to get elected.
But this campaign isn’t about who can sling the most mud. It is about which candidate will be a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice who will look out for all Wisconsinites, regardless of race or income level. That candidate is Tim Burns. ”
SCR 60.06 A judge or judicial candidate shall refrain from inappropriate political activity. (c) Misrepresentations. A candidate for a judicial office shall not knowingly or with reckless disregard for the statement’s truth or falsity misrepresent the identity, qualifications, present position, or other fact concerning the candidate or an opponent. A candidate for judicial office should not knowingly make representations that, although true, are misleading, or knowingly make statements that are likely to confuse the public with respect to the proper role of judges and lawyers in the American adversary system.
