Judiciary
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Faces License Suspension Over Election Misconduct
April 11, 2025, 11:00 am CDT
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman during his appearance in court in 2022, where he chose not to respond to inquiries from Judge Frank Remington. (Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)
Michael J. Gableman, a former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, has agreed to suspend his law license for three years following an ethics complaint linked to his controversial investigation into the results of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin. This agreement was formalized through a stipulation signed on April 7 and is pending approval from the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The stipulation, which was acknowledged by both Gableman and the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation, indicates that Gableman does not have a viable defense against the allegations of misconduct. The grievance against him was filed by Law Forward, an advocacy group focused on government accountability.
Despite the considerable investment of $2.3 million in Gableman’s election review, previous reports, including those from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, indicate that the investigation uncovered no significant evidence of electoral fraud.
Key Allegations Against Gableman
Among the allegations outlined in the ethics complaint are:
- Failure to disclose cooperation received from municipal officials in Madison and Green Bay to a legislative committee.
- Providing false statements in court documents regarding the non-appearance of the mayors from the aforementioned cities for depositions.
- Inappropriate criticism of a judge during a Dane County court hearing where he refused to answer questions relating to a public records request, accusing Judge Frank Remington of bias and suggesting he was being treated unjustly.
“Through this agreement, Gableman concedes that he has misled courts, misrepresented information in public sessions, and violated laws meant to ensure governmental transparency,” stated Jeff Mandell, president and general counsel of Law Forward.
Michael Gableman served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 2008 until 2018. His decision to submit the stipulation followed a shift in the court’s balance, as a recent election resulted in a Democratic candidate winning a seat, establishing a 4-3 liberal majority on the court.
