Wisconsin Governor refuses to help Iraq veteran

Lueders: Walker's no-pardon stance leaves veteran out in the cold
Iraq war vet pleads for clemency on battery charge
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
Written by
Bill Lueders
Jan. 6, 2014

A recent article on a decorated military veteran seeking a pardon from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker drew a cheap shot from an online commenter: “If he is serious (about) getting special treatment from Walker, he simply needs a lot of cash to donate.”

In fact, the Republican governor’s bold stance against any and all pardons takes this scenario off the table.

“Gov. Walker supports the court system and does not want to undermine the actions of a judge or jury,” spokeswoman Julie Lund said in an email. He has other priorities besides issuing pardons, which “is not a requirement of the job.”

Critics say pardons are an important task, not an insult to the justice system. The case involving the veteran, who served tours of duty in Kuwait and Iraq, casts this into sharp relief. (For statewide coverage, see pardoneric.com).

In September 2004, two days after returning from the Middle East, Cpl. Eric Pizer of Madison intervened in a dust-up between his friend and another man. He punched the man once, breaking his nose.

“He was trying to protect himself and others,” says Pizer’s attorney, David Relles, whose client had no prior juvenile or adult record.

The Grant County District Attorney’s Office charged Pizer with substantial battery, a felony; he pleaded no contest and served two years on probation. The conviction bars Pizer, now 32, from his dream of becoming a police officer.
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