WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Herb Kohl today announced that he has appointed an 11-member bipartisan task force of Wisconsin legal experts and community leaders to examine the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.  Kohl, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will seek input from the task force leading up to Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings in the Senate.  This is the sixth Supreme Court nomination that Kohl will consider and he has utilized a bipartisan task force in each previous case. Kohl is second in seniority among Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for confirming the President’s nominees to the Supreme Court.

“The bipartisan taskforce is made up of experts in the legal profession throughout Wisconsin and has helped me make informed decisions in the past,” Kohl said. “Their expertise and insight is helpful as I examine Judge Sotomayor’s judicial record and determine the issues to discuss during her confirmation hearings next month.”

The members of Kohl’s bipartisan task force include:

Michelle Behnke, attorney, Michelle Behnke & Associates.

Tom Cannon, Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee

Ed Fallone, professor, Marquette University Law School

Nathan Fishbach, attorney, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C.

Joseph D. Kearney, Dean, Marquette University Law School

Jose Olivieri, attorney, Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP

Peter Rofes, professor and Dean of Academic Affairs, Marquette University Law School

Donsia Strong Hill, attorney, Godfrey & Kahn

Julia Taylor, President, Greater Milwaukee Committee

Frank Tuerkheimer, professor, University of Wisconsin Law School

Brady Williamson, professor, University of Wisconsin Law School and attorney, Godfrey & Kahn       

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