Too Close to Call

Recount Likely in WI Court Race

Anti-union law could rest on outcome.

A fierce fight for the Wisconsin Supreme Court is down to the wire, with a liberal challenger leading the conservative incumbent by a paper-thin margin. With the vote difference in the hundreds, a recount is expected. The race between Justice David Prosser and Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg was a sleepy one until a law to ban public-sector collective bargaining tore the state apart. Although the race is nonpartisan, a Prosser defeat could tilt the balance of the court left from its 5-4 conservative lean, which could determine the fate of judicial challenges to the controversial labor laws. Kloppenburg has declared victory with a 204-vote lead, but some absentee ballots are outstanding.