An unusual thing happened earlier this month at the Wisconsin
Supreme Court. Ramon Gonzalez, an inmate, was tried for a fight in
the Milwaukee County Jail. To assist the jury in identifying
Gonzalez as a participant in the fight, the judge ordered him to
show his teeth to the jury. This revealed the dental modifications
for which Gonzalez had received the nickname "Platinum."
The single issue on appeal was whether compelling him to show his
teeth violated his Fifth Amendment privilege against
self-incrimination. The issue was not a difficult one, and the
court decided 7-0 that Gonzalez's rights had not been violated.
State v.
Gonzalez, 2014 WI 124.
The opinion was unusual because the only separate opinion, by
Chief Justice Abrahamson, contained not a single word about the
merits of the Gonzalez case. Rather, the Chief Justice
described in detail recent changes by the court to its opinion
drafting process that have the potential to make the recent
"unusual" release
