Bad idea.

Few staff-to-leggie transitions ever result in great legislators, probably because it's mostly the untalented staffers that look to make the jump. This case is proving to be no exception.

Republicans, who now control the Legislature and the governor's office, would surely like to have a conservative in charge of the state Supreme Court. But the only way they're going to get one is by changing the way the chief justice is chosen. Of the seven justices, the three with the most seniority are the court's three liberals.

On Thursday, state Rep. Tyler August, R-Walworth, announced that he has authored a constitutional amendment that would allow the seven state Supreme Court justices to choose the high court's chief justice by a vote, rather than the current system that makes the longest-serving justice the chief.

"The leader of Wisconsin's highest court should not simply be who has been there the longest," says August in a press release, which does not mention Abrahamson. "The chief justice should be a consensus builder who has the respect of their fellow justices."

We're going to foster that consensus building attitude by allowing the court to choose its own chief on a potentially divisive, 4-3 vote. Sure. By explicitly encouraging the court to divide itself, the proposed amendment would accomplish the exact opposite of what the author alleges.

I agree that seniority seems a silly way to select a chief, but it would be far better to simply scrap the whole model and do as the federal government does: executive appointment with Senate approval.