Retiring Judge John Shabaz

It was in the paper today that Judge John Shabaz was going to assume senior status if the President can appoint his successor prior to January of 2010. This will be the first federal vacancy in 25 years in the Western District of Wisconsin. Judge Shabaz was known for being extremely harsh on federal drug sentences. I had tried various times to get him to reduce the 100 to 1 ratio for powder to crack disparity on cocaine cases and he never agreed. No doubt many attorneys in Madison will be interested in seeing who will be his replacement.