Public commentary about the Wisconsin Supreme Court as "activist" began in the wake of the 2004-05 term, the first term following the resignation of Justice Diane Sykes (appointed to the Seventh Circuit by President Bush) and her replacement by Justice Louis Butler, a trial court judge in Milwaukee and former public defender, by Democratic Governor Jim Doyle. After a series of decisions expanding the ability of plaintiffs to recover damages in various ways, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial referring to Wisconsin as "Alabama North," a magnet for trial lawyers...
