Judges make choices; by definition they exercise judgment. Not all judges
reason alike or necessarily reach the same result even when presented with the
same facts and the same law. If judges did not use judgment, they could be replaced by computers, which, when given the facts and law, would churn out an answer. Nevertheless, judicial independence does not mean that the judge is a
loose cannon on the deck ofjustice, shooting in any direction he or she wishes.
Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2003