Referee tosses ethics case against Wis. lawmaker
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A referee has recommended dismissing an ethics complaint against a lawmaker accused of conducting a dirty trick to help his wife get elected as a judge.
Referee Jonathan Goodman says Rep. Fred Kessler, D-Milwaukee, did not violate any professional rules of conduct for attorneys and should not be disciplined. His recommendation goes to the state Supreme Court.
The Office of Lawyer Regulation is considering an appeal.
Regulators want to reprimand Kessler for recruiting a woman to file a complaint against his wife's opponent in the 2004 election.
The complaint prompted incumbent Charlie Schudson to acknowledge a violation of the judicial code. Joan Kessler beat Schudson for a seat on the Milwaukee-based District 1 Court of Appeals.
Sep 21, 2009 at 12:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
If you can believe it, Joan Kessler unseated Schudson in the 2004 election, and the letter that was the basis of the disputed complaint was sent in 2002.
.
By the way, the rationale for this ethics action is that Fred Kessler's law license was inactive at the time he worked on the complaint. It isn't clear whether he was acting as an attorney or as a private citizen, though.
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.