On Monday, March 13, 2023, Wisconsin Public Radio reported that Winnebago County Circuit Court Judge Scott Woldt, who was suspended in 2021 for judicial misconduct, is seeking reelection to the bench.
The Supreme Court of Wisconsin suspended Judge Woldt for seven days without pay after it found that he that Judge Woldt violated the rules of judiciary conduct in connection with six separate incidents in 2009, 2015, and 2016.
Court documents revealed that in two of those incidents, Judge Woldt displayed a handgun during a sentencing hearing, and during a court visitation of a group of high school students. In another incident, Judge Woldt berated a 13-year-old girl victim of sexual assault, referred to her as a “so-called victim”, and called her 18-year-old assailant, a “smart man” and a “low risk to re-offend.”
Unlike the many judges who have been disciplined for misconduct, Judge Woldt seeks reelection in Winnebago County. Since his appointment in 2004, Judge Woldt has run for reelection to the bench three times.
His opposition to the judgeship is LaKeisha Haase who was a former Winnebago County Circuit Judge and was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers in 2020 but lost an election the following year.
Haase said voters should take the sanction against Woldt into account.
“I do not have to kick anyone when they’re down,” Haase said. “I don’t have to make those disparaging remarks about someone.”
When asked on the issue of Woldt’s misconduct of berating the victim of a sexual assault, Haase said, “he took an opportunity to knock a 13-year-old down because she didn’t respond in a way that he felt was appropriate. That’s disgusting.”
Judges frequently face complaints from defendants who want to overturn unfair rulings or criticize the judge’s conduct in court. However, suspensions for judicial misconduct are extremely uncommon in Wisconsin. Only 15 Wisconsin judges have been suspended between 1978 and 2021, according to data from the Wisconsin Judicial Commission.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio’s report, there is no mention of the suspension on Woldt’s campaign website. He responded to the findings by insinuating that at least one of the complaints came from an attorney who had a personal grudge against him. Woldt made no apologies for his judicial misconduct, which the Supreme Court said had “a significant detrimental impact on the public’s view of the judiciary.”
“Now, am I the nicest guy all the time?”, “I don’t sugarcoat it. I tell it the way it is.” Judge Woldt commented.
Haase responded, “It’s not a matter of being blunt. It’s a matter of the disrespect that you show. The personal opinion that he has of someone — which should be absent in his judgment,” she said.
Source: Wisconsin Public Radio
