Donald Trump Undermines Bipartisan Wisconsin Selection Process to Nominate Gov. Scott Walker Crony to Federal Judicial Seat

MADISON, Wis. — For seven years, Republican obstruction prevented the Wisconsin seat on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals from being filled.

Late last night, Donald Trump announced he would also be subverting the five-decades long practice of selecting a nominee forwarded by both Wisconsin United States Senators at the recommendation of a bipartisan commission. Instead, he nominated Michael Brennan, a Milwaukee Attorney and former head of Gov. Scott Walker’s judicial selection advisory committee, to fill the long vacant seat.

The following are the comments of One Wisconsin Institute Program Director Analiese Eicher:

“As the head of Scott Walker’s Judicial commission Michael Brennan participated in putting judges on our state Supreme Court who suggested women were to blame for date rape, compared contraception to murder, wrote vile anti-LGBTQ rants and equated affirmative action with slavery.

“That he thought people with these kinds of repugnant, racist, homophobic, discriminatory views were worthy of slots on our state’s highest court reflects poorly on his own qualifications to sit on the federal court of appeals.

“Now with this pick Donald Trump has also blown up Wisconsin’s longstanding tradition of nominating candidates with bipartisan support.

“We count on our federal courts to treat everyone equally before the law and where we can turn to protect our rights and stop government overreaches.

“This is the wrong way to try to put someone on the federal bench and Michael Brennan is the wrong person to put on the Seventh Circuit.”