On Monday, October 13, 2025, Wisconsin Public Radio reported that Kelly Martyka, a municipal judge in Milwaukee County, resigned from her position following allegations of perjury related to her residency and the procurement of signatures for her reelection campaign. Martyka, who served as the municipal court judge for South Milwaukee, faces a misdemeanor charge of false swearing in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
The charges stem from accusations that Martyka misrepresented her place of residence to meet eligibility requirements for the judicial office. Furthermore, she is accused of lying about personally circulating her nomination paper forms and the collection of signatures needed to secure her spot on the ballot during her reelection bid in April, which she narrowly won.
According to the criminal complaint, Martyka allegedly certified that she personally circulated the nomination papers and obtained each signature on the form. However, prosecutors contend that this statement was untrue, alleging that at least five of the eight signatures on the page were collected by other individuals, without Martyka’s presence or witnessing. The complaint further states that the name and address of the actual circulator had been erased and replaced with Martyka’s information. Prosecutors argued that the inclusion of this improperly certified page was crucial for Martyka to meet the signature threshold required for ballot access.
Martyka, who also holds the position of director of development for the Milwaukee Parks Foundation, officially resigned from her judicial role on September 19. In her resignation letter, Martyka denied any wrongdoing, characterizing the investigation as a targeted attack on her and her husband, which unfairly questioned her credibility, professionalism, and ethics.
The South Milwaukee Common Council has since approved a resolution to hold a special election on April 7, 2026, to fill the vacancy left by Martyka’s departure. City Clerk Steven Braatz indicated that the Common Council is expected to appoint a temporary replacement in November to serve until the special election.
Martyka’s attorney, Jacob Manian, issued a statement asserting that his client voluntarily resigned to avoid diverting attention from the court’s operations while she addresses the allegations brought forth by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. The Milwaukee Parks Foundation has declined to comment on the charges against Martyka.
In addition to the allegations surrounding the nomination papers, prosecutors also claim that Martyka primarily resided in Racine during her reelection campaign and when she voted in the spring election on April 1, despite the requirement that she live in South Milwaukee to hold the position. The complaint cites documentary evidence and witness statements suggesting that Martyka spent the majority of the 28 days preceding the election residing in Racine with her spouse.
The complaint further reveals that Martyka’s husband had applied to become a police officer for the South Milwaukee Police Department in March and listed a Racine address on his application. Investigators conducted spot checks at both the South Milwaukee address listed by Martyka and the Racine home, which allegedly confirmed that she primarily lived in Racine. Cell phone records also indicated that while Martyka was in South Milwaukee on election day, she spent the subsequent seven nights at the Racine residence.
Martyka is scheduled to appear in court on October 29 for a pre-trial conference.
Source: Wisconsin Public Radio
