Walker Appoints Brad Schimel To Waukesha County Court

WAUKESHA COUNTY, WI -- One day after Wisconsin Attorney Brad Schimel said he would not seek a recount in a Nov. 6 reelection bid, Gov. Scott Walker made sure the conservative leader would have a soft landing.

That's because Walker announced Tuesday that he's appointing Schimel to a vacant seat on the Waukesha County Circuit Court, replacing outgoing Judge Patrick C. Haughney, who left the bench on Nov. 6. Haughney was first elected to the Waukesha Circuit Court in 1996 and was re-elected in 2002, 2008 and most recently 2014 for a term that would have expired in 2020.

“Brad Schimel has diligently served the State of Wisconsin as attorney general and the citizens of Waukesha County as district attorney,” said Governor Walker in a prepared statement Tuesday. “Schimel has shown a commitment to the rule of law and the State of Wisconsin. He will continue to faithfully serve our state as Waukesha County Circuit Court judge.”

Schimel would have to win an election in April for a full six-year term on the court.

According to a Journal Sentinel report Tuesday, Democratic legislators are howling over the appointment, calling it political favoritism.

Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) said Schimel's appointment was "scripted behind closed doors."
"This is what people hate about politics, this type of backscratching," Goyke said in the Journal Sentinel report. Rep. Dana Wachs was also interviewed by the paper, saying that Schimel's lawsuit to upend the Affordable Care Act is Attorney General is concerning now that Schimel's going to be a judge.

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