Walker wins, people of Wisconsin lose

Sometimes, it is better to let sleeping dogs lie. For the past five years, the legal battle has brewed over whether Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and his aides acted illegally. The initial probe, part of what is called a John Doe investigation, led to the conviction of six Walker aides. The Governor was never charged. The second investigation looked into whether Walker’s campaign had partnered with the Wisconsin Club for Growth to violate campaign finance laws. The cases went back and forth in the courts until it was halted two years ago. Yesterday came the final chapter in the legal battle, with the United States Supreme Court refusing to take up the case on appeal. Attorneys representing the Wisconsin Club for Growth correctly pointing out that prosecutors have lost at every conceivable level. Perhaps it would have been better never to start the probe, because the result has been bad for our democracy. Governor Walker changed the John Doe law so it can no longer be used to investigate crimes related to politics. And the probe led to Walker dismantling the Government Accountability Board, the group which had overseen campaign finance laws. A new commission of political appointees has taken its place. Walker may have won the legal fight, but the people of Wisconsin who value the democratic process are the real losers.