Senate Set to Vote on Another Hoplophobic Judge

Here we go again.

First, there was Sonia Sotomayor. Then there was David Hamilton.

Now, we have another radical, anti-gun judge that has been nominated for the federal judiciary. His name is Louis Butler, and he is so radical, he was twice rejected by the people of Wisconsin (which is, by the way, one of the most liberal states in our union).

When Louis Butler first ran for the Wisconsin Supreme Court -- the voters rejected him by a 2-1 margin. When he was appointed to that court by Democrat Governor Jim Doyle and then stood for retention by the voters, they again rejected him. This was the first time a member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court was rejected by the voters in more than 40 years.

More importantly, Louis Butler opposes the rights of gun owners. The right to bear arms in the Wisconsin Constitution expressly notes that this right is for personal security and "any other lawful purpose." But in State v. Fischer, Judge Butler was the deciding vote in 2006 to hold that a Wisconsin statute barring carrying a concealed weapon for any purpose, at any time, including in a vehicle, does not violate this right to personal security that the voters of Wisconsin chose to expressly protect in their state constitution.

So he ignored the state constitution in order to impose his anti-gun views on the people of Wisconsin.

After the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Heller case upholding Second Amendment gun rights in 2008, Louis Butler spoke at an Obama for President fundraiser and specifically mentioned "gun control" as an issue that potential Obama appointees would impact.

"Gun control," Butler said, "may ultimately be decided, and the new appointees can tip the very balance of the court. [The] background, personal beliefs and policy decisions of the justices selected will influence how they will vote on the difficult cases before them."

There you have it. He is a radical activist who wants to move the courts -- and our country -- in a new direction. We've already had enough "hope and change" for a lifetime. We don't need another federal judge who will use his radical "personal beliefs" to reshape our society.

ACTION: Please contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to OPPOSE the nomination of Judge Louis Butler as U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin. Butler was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, and could now be voted on by the full Senate at any time.

You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your senators the pre-written e-mail message here.