Fired Wisconsin courts director files complaint against judges who removed him
Former Director of Wisconsin’s Court System Files Complaints Against Replacement and Liberal State Supreme Court Justices
The former director of Wisconsin’s court system, Randy Koschnick, has filed five complaints against his replacement and the liberal state Supreme Court justices who voted to oust him. Koschnick claims that his dismissal was politically motivated and that the new appointment is illegal.
Koschnick was appointed to his role as the state’s top nonjudicial court official in 2017 when conservatives held the majority. He filed his grievances on Tuesday with the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, an independent agency tasked with enforcing a code of conduct for judges and court commissioners in the state.
Challenging the Legality of the Appointment
In his complaint, Koschnick argues that Audrey Skwierawski, a Milwaukee County judge who has been named interim director of the state court system, is not legally allowed to be in that role until July 2025. He claims that the state constitution prohibits judges from holding nonjudicial offices until their terms end.
Koschnick also filed complaints against Justices Ann Walsh Bradley, Rebecca Dallet, Jill Karofsky, and Janet Protasiewicz.
“I think it’s a real threat to the system, long term, to have justices not following the constitution and apparently not being concerned about it,” Koschnick said.
Response from Skwierawski
Skwierawski, who took leave from her position on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Aug. 3, responded to the allegations in a statement. She stated that she worked with legal experts and reviewed the law herself to ensure her eligibility for the new role. As director of state courts, she will advise the state Supreme Court on process improvements and oversee budgets and operations.
Conservative Chief Justice’s Disappointment
Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, a conservative, expressed her disappointment in her liberal colleagues for Koschnick’s firing. She called it “a raw exercise of overreaching power” and criticized the procedural and legal flaws in the ousting. However, she did not indicate that she would intervene, fearing it could lead to the firing of other court employees.
“It is shameful,” Ziegler added. “I fear this is only the beginning.”
Political Battle for Control
The fight over ideological control of the court gained national attention when Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Justice Daniel Kelly in a record-breaking election. This victory shifted the balance of power from conservatives, who had been in control for 15 years, to liberals. Protasiewicz’s win now makes her the deciding vote on important issues such as abortion rights, legislative maps, and potentially the 2024 presidential race.
Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are technically nonpartisan, but Protasiewicz has taken public stances on abortion and legislative maps. Republicans in the state legislature have threatened to impeach her if she does not recuse herself from certain cases, although the likelihood of her removal is slim due to the Democratic governor’s approval being required.
“At the end of the day, Wisconsin is a deeply and bitterly divided state, politically, and those divisions are very much reflected on the state Supreme Court,” said Anthony Chergosky, an expert on the state’s politics and courts at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment.
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