Unions Lose Wisconsin Supreme Court Race...Again

They thought they won it on election night but it slipped away when the votes were certified.  A recount has basically confirmed the certified numbers so the final defeat of the Wisconsin public employee unions is complete:

With the weeks-long recount complete, unofficial numbers confirm that state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser narrowly defeated Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg in the April 5 election.

But the battle may not be over yet, as Kloppenburg mulls whether to challenge the results in court.

And if a legal contest goes on long enough, attorneys say it could delay efforts to swear Prosser in for a new term on Aug. 1, leading to a temporary vacancy on the closely divided high court.

Final recount numbers submitted to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board show Prosser with 7,006 more votes than Kloppenburg.

Kloppenburg knows she won't be sitting on the Supreme Court, but the unions are so intent on stopping Gov. Walker's union reform bill a legal challenge is probably likely for no reason other than to create a vacancy on the court in hopes the legal challenges to the union reform bill will reach the court during that time. With Prosser temporarily off the court there's a good chance the court would deadlock at 3-3 on the bill which would leave the lower court rulings in place.

It's a desperation move, but one that I fully expect to happen.

UPDATE:  Iowahawk piles on:

Breaking: Bad news for Kloppenburg; loses WI recount, state police find Hansel & Gretel in her candy house oven