Screnock, Dallet Advance in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

WAUKESHA, WI — With 99 percent of all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Michael Screnock and Rebecca Dallet have officially advanced to April 3 election. Tim Burns has officially been eliminated from the race. Patch will update these figures as the election night progresses.

Michael Screnock 246,357 46%
Rebecca Dallet 190,347 36%
Tim Burns 94,714 18%
Total 531,418

Screnock's campaign issued a statement moments after the race was called by the Associated Press just before 9 p.m. Tuesday.

“Tonight’s results serve as proof that voters across Wisconsin value the importance of a fair and impartial judiciary focused on upholding the rule of law and respecting our Constitution and the separation of powers, regardless of their political affiliation. I am humbled and grateful for the support of so many Wisconsin citizens, and I look forward to continuing my campaign across our great state ahead of the April 3rd general election.”

Madison attorney Tim Burns, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet and Sauk County Circuit Judge Michael Screnock were each vying for a spot on Wisconsin's State Supreme Court to fill the seat which will be vacated by Justice Michael Gableman.

The April 3 election will determine the winner.

(candidates in alphabetical order)

Burns

Tim Burns is a partner at a law firm in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a former co-chair of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association. He is a graduate of University of Missouri-Columbia Law School. He also serves on the national board of the American Constitution Society and is a member of the American Law Institute, according to his campaign website.

Dallet

According to her campaign website, Judge Dallet currently trains judges nationwide as a faculty member for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and teaches in Wisconsin as Associate Dean of the Wisconsin Judicial College. She is a former adjunct professor of law at Marquette University Law School. She also serves as president of the Milwaukee Trial Judges Association, and as secretary of the Association for Women Lawyers.

Screnock

In 2015, Judge Screnock was appointed by Governor Walker to a seat on the Sauk County Circuit Court, located in Baraboo. In 2016, he successfully ran unopposed to retain his seat on the circuit court. He also presides over the Sauk County Adult Drug Court since its inception in January 2016, according to his campaign website.

Opinions on Key Cases

In late October, the Journal Sentinel interviewed each of the three candidates for State Supreme Court on a variety of major cases in recent memory. Those include Act 10, John Doe, Voter ID and Election Boundary Redistricting. Here are their interview answers on Act 10, as collected by the Journal Sentinel. For the remaining cases, read more.

Act 10

(responses in reverse alphabetical order)

Screnock: “It is good for the public to know that the judicial system is able to respond, when necessary, in a timely fashion,” Screnock wrote.

Dallet: “I think they (in the majority) missed the issue. I think we have a freedom to associate and I think penalizing people for doing so can certainly violate that right.”

Burns: Called the ruling "wrong," saying unions and public education are “vital to democracy.”

Submitted Photos