A shocking decision came down from the Wisconsin Supreme Court today that quite literally destroys a longstanding investigation into whether Governor Scott Walker illegally coordinated with right-wing political groups during his 2012 recall campaign. This comes just three days after he formally announced his presidential run.
As ThinkProgress reports, the court, voting along partisan lines, ruled that in order to "prevent the chilling of otherwise protected speech" investigators must "permanently destroy all copies of information and other materials obtained through the investigation" and ordered that all those accused of illegal coordination doesn't have to cooperate with investigators any longer.
Watchdog groups have called out the court for refusing to recuse justices with very clear conflicts of interest. And in one of those lovely twists of fate only found in the world of American politics, the groups that Walker allegedly coordinated with were fundamental in electing a number of the conservative judges currently on the bench.
The decision is a devastating blow for campaign finance reform advocates because a successful investigation could have set broad precedent for future political campaigns. It is possible, according to The New York Times, that the decision will be appealed before the United States Supreme Court.
"This decision effectively eviscerates contribution limits in Wisconsin," said Daniel Weiner, senior counsel at the Brennan Center, in a statement. "By limiting the reach of Wisconsin coordination rules to 'express advocacy,' for or against candidates, the court has made campaign finance law extraordinarily easy to evade. No other court has gone this far and for good reason-it is a misreading of the law and threatens fair and transparent elections."
Here's a very helpful video from The New York Times on why it's so easy-despite campaign law-for politicians to coordinate with super PACs and other shadowy groups.
For more on the pile of dark money that Scott Walker has used throughout his slithery political ascension, read Prospect columnist Adele Stan's detailing of his long history of donor scandals.