Brad Schimel | |
---|---|
Judge of the Wisconsin Circuit Court for the Waukesha Circuit Branch 6 | |
Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
Appointed by | Scott Walker |
Preceded by | Patrick Haughney |
44th Attorney General of Wisconsin | |
In office January 5,2015 –January 7,2019 | |
Governor | Scott Walker |
Preceded by | J. B. Van Hollen |
Succeeded by | Josh Kaul |
District Attorney of Waukesha County | |
In office January 3,2007 –January 5 2015 | |
Preceded by | Paul Bucher |
Succeeded by | Susan Opper |
Personal details | |
Born | February 18,1965 |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Sandi Schimel |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Wisconsin,Milwaukee (BA) University of Wisconsin,Madison (JD) |
Brad Schimel (born February 18,1965) is an American lawyer,judge,and Republican politician. He was the 44th attorney general of Wisconsin,serving from 2015 to 2019. He was defeated seeking re-election in 2018,and was subsequently appointed a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Waukesha County,by Governor Scott Walker. Schimel is seeking election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the 2025 Spring election. He also previously served as district attorney of Waukesha County.
Schimel is a graduate of Mukwonago High School,and holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (1987). [1] He earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1990. [2]
Schimel is a practicing Catholic and supports pro-life causes. [3]
He began his career as a prosecutor in 1990,when he joined the Waukesha County District Attorney's office. In 2006 Schimel was elected Waukesha County District Attorney. He would be re-elected without opposition in 2008,2010,and 2012.
In 2005,Schimel successfully prosecuted Ron Schroeder,professionally known as 'Silly the Clown' for child abuse. [4]
In 2011,Schimel was appointed to serve on the Wisconsin Judicial Council and the Wisconsin Crime Victim Council. [5]
Schimel is an instructor in the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Department at Waukesha County Technical College,and is a former adjunct instructor at Concordia University Wisconsin. [6]
On October 7,2013,the then-current Attorney General,J. B. Van Hollen,announced he would not seek reelection in 2014 for a third term as state attorney general. [7] Van Hollen endorsed Schimel as his replacement. [8] In the 2014 general election,Schimel defeated his opponent Democrat Susan Happ. [9]
As attorney general,Schimel appealed the ruling by a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin that Brendan Dassey,one of the subjects of Making a Murderer ,had been coerced into confessing to a murder as an intellectually disabled 16-year old. [10] Courts subsequently ruled either to free Dassey or block his release pending a new trial. [10] Schimel argued that the United States Supreme Court should not hear Dassey's case;when the U.S. Supreme Court declined hearing Dassey's case,Schimel said he was pleased. [11] [12]
Schimel also attempted to resuscitate the abortion-limiting provisions of 2013's Act 37 passed by the Legislature. Those provisions,requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital,were struck down by a federal judge in 2013. Schimel appealed the ruling to the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals,which upheld the district court decision in their November 2015 ruling. [13] Schimel then appealed to the United States Supreme Court,but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal. [14]
In November 2016,a three-judge panel of federal judges found that Wisconsin's legislative map,enacted in 2011,was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The map had resulted in a persistent Republican majority of about 64% of both legislative chambers despite the popular vote in the state being evenly split between the two parties. [15] Schimel appealed the decision to the United States Supreme Court,which heard the case along with other partisan gerrymandering questions in that term. [16] The Court gave its opinion in the case Gill v. Whitford (2019),siding with Wisconsin Republicans and ruling that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated personal harm,and therefore did not have standing to challenge the map. The decision effectively ended federal court oversight of partisan gerrymandering questions. [17] [18]
In November 2018,after Schimel was defeated for reelection by Democratic candidate Josh Kaul,Republican Governor Scott Walker (who had lost his own re-election bid to Democratic candidate Tony Evers) appointed Schmiel to the Waukesha County Circuit Court. The state Democratic Party criticized the appointment. [19] Walker announced the appointment the day after Schimel conceded to Kaul. [20] Walker passed over 13 applicants for the position to appoint Schimel;it is unclear whether Schimel submitted a formal application for the judicial vacancy. [20] Schimel had submitted letters of recommendation for four other applicants for the job,including one of his campaign coordinators. [20]
In October 2020,Schimel was an emcee at an Ozaukee County Republican Party fundraising event,alongside Ron Johnson and other Republican elected officials. This prompted criticism because Wisconsin state law states that judges must refrain from engaging in partisan political activity. [21] [22] [23] Schimel defended his appearance at the event. [22] Schmiel also attended a Donald Trump rally at the Waukesha County Airport later that month,although he "emphasized he was attending the rally as an individual and Trump supporter." [24]
During the COVID-19 pandemic,Schimel initially refused to wear a face covering while presiding in court,defying a statewide state court directive requiring the use of face coverings during in-person proceedings,as a measure to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. After public defenders complained for months that Schimel's actions were putting litigants and counsel at risk,Schmiel was reprimanded by the chief judge of the 3rd Judicial District. Chief Justice Patience Roggensack of the Wisconsin Supreme Court,who is the head of the Wisconsin state court system,barred Schimel from presiding over cases in person due to his refusal to wear a face covering (or hold proceedings all remotely via videoconference). The ban was lifted after Schimel agreed to wear a face covering in court. [21]
Schimel declared his candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court on November 30,2023. He is running in the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election,challenging Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford for retiring justice Ann Walsh Bradley's seat. [25] [26]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primary Election, September 12, 2006 | |||||
Republican | Brad Schimel | 20,270 | 57.59% | ||
Republican | Dennis Krueger | 14,917 | 42.38% | ||
Scattering | 12 | 0.03% | |||
Total votes | 35,199 | 100.0% | |||
General Election, November 7, 2006 | |||||
Republican | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 132,967 | 99.39% | ||
Scattering | 820 | 0.61% | |||
Total votes | 133,807 | 100.0% | |||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 4, 2008 | |||||
Republican | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 168,330 | 99.57% | ||
Scattering | 731 | 0.43% | |||
Total votes | 169,061 | 100.0% | |||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 2, 2010 | |||||
Republican | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 51,290 | 100.0% | ||
Total votes | 51,290 | 100.0% | |||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 6, 2012 | |||||
Republican | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 158,479 | 99.31% | ||
Scattering | 1.096 | 0.69% | |||
Total votes | 159,575 | 100.0% | |||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 4, 2014 | |||||
Republican | Brad Schimel | 1,211,388 | 51.54% | −6.25pp | |
Democratic | Susan V. Happ | 1,066,866 | 45.39% | +3.26pp | |
Independent | Thomas A. Nelson Sr. | 70,951 | 3.02% | ||
Scattering | 1,120 | 0.05% | −0.03pp | ||
Plurality | 144,522 | 6.15% | -9.51pp | ||
Total votes | 2,350,325 | 100.0% | +11.26% | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 6, 2018 | |||||
Democratic | Josh Kaul | 1,305,902 | 49.41% | +4.02pp | |
Republican | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 1,288,712 | 48.76% | −2.78pp | |
Constitution | Terry Larson | 47,038 | 1.78% | ||
Scattering | 1,199 | 0.05% | |||
Plurality | 17,190 | 0.65% | -5.50pp | ||
Total votes | 2,642,851 | 100.0% | +12.45% | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, April 2, 2019 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 81,363 | 97.84% | ||
Scattering | 1,788 | 2.16% | |||
Total votes | 83,151 | 100.0% |
John Byron "J. B." Van Hollen is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Wisconsin. He served as the 43rd attorney general of Wisconsin, from 2007 to 2015. Earlier, he was appointed United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin from 2002 to 2005, and served as district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin, and Bayfield County, Wisconsin, in the 1990s.
Rudolph Thomas Randa was an American judge. He was a United States district judge in the Eastern District of Wisconsin for the last 24 years of his life. He was Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Wisconsin from 2002 until October 2009. Prior to his appointment to the federal court, he was a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge and served one year on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.
Jonathan David Richards is an American attorney, judge, and Democratic politician. He currently serves as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, since his appointment on September 22, 2020, by Governor Tony Evers. He previously represented Milwaukee for 16 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly and was a candidate for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 2014.
The 2010 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 2, 2010. All of Wisconsin's executive and administrative officers were up for election as well as one of Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seats, Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, seventeen seats in the Wisconsin State Senate, and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly. The 2010 Wisconsin Fall Partisan Primary was held September 14, 2010.
John Theodore Chisholm is an American prosecutor and politician from Wisconsin who served as the Milwaukee County District Attorney from 2007 to 2025. A career prosecutor, Chisholm specialized in complex conspiracy prosecutions before his election as district attorney in 2006.
JoAnne Fishman Kloppenburg is an American lawyer who has served as a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals since 2012 in the Madison-based District IV. Kloppenburg was previously an assistant attorney general in the Wisconsin Department of Justice and was a candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2011 and 2016.
Paul F. Reilly is a retired American lawyer and judge. He served on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Waukesha-based District II from 2010 until his retirement in 2022. Earlier, he served 7 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Waukesha County.
Paul B. Higginbotham is a retired judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He was the first African American to serve on the court. He previously served nine years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Dane County, Wisconsin.
The 2014 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 4, 2014. Wisconsin's Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer were all up for election, as well as Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives. The November general election in 2014 also featured a statewide referendum on an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin. The 2014 Wisconsin Fall Primary Election was held on August 12, 2014.
Brian Keith Hagedorn is an American lawyer and a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, serving since 2019. Prior to his election to the supreme court, he served four years as a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.
The 2018 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 6, 2018. All of Wisconsin's partisan executive and administrative offices were up for election as well as one of Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seats, Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, seventeen seats in the Wisconsin State Senate, and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly. The 2018 Wisconsin Fall Partisan Primary was held August 14, 2018. There were also special elections held during 2018 for three State Assembly seats and two state senate seats.
Benisek v. Lamone, 585 U.S. ____ (2018), and Lamone v. Benisek, 588 U.S. ____ (2019), were a pair of decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States in a case dealing with the topic of partisan gerrymandering arising from the 2011 Democratic party-favored redistricting of Maryland. At the center of the cases was Maryland's 6th district which historically favored Republicans and which was redrawn in 2011 to shift the political majority to become Democratic via vote dilution. Affected voters filed suit, stating that the redistricting violated their right of representation under Article One, Section Two of the U.S. Constitution and freedom of association of the First Amendment.
Joshua Lautenschlager Kaul is an American lawyer, politician and member of the Democratic Party who has served as the 45th Attorney General of Wisconsin since January 2019.
The 2020 Wisconsin Fall general election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 3, 2020. All of Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election, as well as sixteen seats in the Wisconsin State Senate and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Voters also chose ten electors to represent them in the Electoral College, which then participated in selecting the president of the United States. The 2020 Fall partisan primary was held on August 11, 2020.
The 2022 Wisconsin fall general election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 8, 2022. All of Wisconsin's partisan executive and administrative offices were up for election, as well as one of Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seats, and Wisconsin's eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The fall election also filled the seventeen odd-numbered seats in the Wisconsin Senate and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly for the 106th Wisconsin Legislature. The 2022 Wisconsin fall primary was held on August 9, 2022.
The 2014 Wisconsin Attorney General election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Attorney General of Wisconsin. incumbent attorney general J. B. Van Hollen, first elected in 2006, did not seek re-election to a third term. After facing no opposition in the primary, Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel defeated Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ in the November general election.
The 2023 Wisconsin Spring Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on April 4, 2023. The featured race at the top of the ticket was for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which became the most expensive judicial election in history. Several other nonpartisan local and judicial offices were also decided on the April 4 ballot, including mayoral elections in some of Wisconsin's larger cities—Green Bay, Madison, and Racine. In addition, a special election was held in the 8th State Senate district, concurrent with the Spring elections. The 2023 Wisconsin Spring Primary was held February 21, 2023.
Jennifer R. Dorow is an American attorney from Wisconsin. She is a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Waukesha County, serving since 2011. She previously served as chief judge of the 3rd district of Wisconsin circuit courts (2017–2023). In 2022, she presided over the trial of Darrell Brooks Jr., the perpetrator of the Waukesha Christmas parade attack, which received national news coverage. Following that trial, Dorow ran for a vacant seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but was eliminated in the primary.
Maria S. Lazar is an American lawyer and a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, since August 2022, in Waukesha-based District II. She previously served seven years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Waukesha County. During the administration of Governor Scott Walker, she worked as an assistant attorney general in the Wisconsin Department of Justice and handled significant litigation, including lawsuits over redistricting and the controversial "budget repair" bill.
The 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election will be held on April 1, 2025, to elect a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. The incumbent justice, Ann Walsh Bradley, is retiring after 30 years on the court. Although the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are considered nonpartisan, Bradley has identified as a liberal and has voted with the liberal 4–3 majority on the court, meaning the outcome of this election will decide the ideological majority of the court for at least the next year.