SAUK COUNTY- After Justice Michael Gableman announced Thursday that he was not running for reelection, a Sauk County judge announced that he will be running for the open seat on the bench. Michael Screnock is a circuit judge for Sauk County, and though he has little experience as a judge, he has plenty of experience advocating for conservative causes. Screnock helped draw up the grossly partisan legislative district map that was struck down by federal court last November.
Gableman’s time on the court has seen increased partisanship, less fairness, and less balance. Wisconsin does not need a Supreme Court that acts to validate whatever state Republicans want to do. Wisconsin needs a Supreme Court that prioritizes impartiality. Screnock will not provide that impartiality.
Jason Stein at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:
One day after a state Supreme Court justice announced he wasn’t running for re-election, a Sauk County judge said he would run to fill the opening.
Michael Screnock, a Circuit Court judge and past advocate for Republican causes, announced he would campaign for the seat held by outgoing Justice Michael Gableman, a conservative.
Screnock played a part in drawing legislative district maps that helped Republicans consolidate control of the state Capitol and that are currently being challenged by Democrats before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also helped defend Gov. Scott Walker’s signature Act 10 law, which repealed most collective bargaining for most public employees in the state.
“I share that commitment along with the belief that it is the role of a judge to say what the law is and not what it should be,” Screnock said. “Judges must respect the different roles of the court and Legislature and should not legislate from the bench.”
Screnock was appointed by GOP Gov. Scott Walker to the Sauk County court in his hometown in 2015 and ran unopposed for election in 2016.
Read more at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
