One Wisconsin Now Calls for Probe of Michael Screnock

MADISON, Wis. — Recent newspaper reports detail the arrests of Michael Screnock, a county circuit court judge and the conservative candidate for state Supreme Court, and his failure to fully disclose the incidents on his application for a judicial appointment from Gov. Scott Walker. Screnock’s failure to be forthcoming prompted One Wisconsin Now to call on the Office of Lawyer Regulation to investigate whether he also misled on his application to be able to practice law in Wisconsin.

“Michael Screnock tried to pass off his attempts to physically prevent women from accessing legal health care as peaceful and he failed to fully disclose the details of his arrests on his judicial application,” commented One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. “In fact, he was intimately involved with some of the most extreme right wing protests of the day and refused to cooperate with law enforcement when he was arrested for what he was doing.”

In requesting an investigation, Ross noted that,

“It appears Judge Screnock was less than forthcoming about his arrests when he applied to Governor Walker for an appointment … I respectfully ask the Office of Lawyer Regulation to investigate this matter to determine whether Judge Screnock fully and accurately disclosed his arrest and citations in his application to the Board of Bar Examiners, or if he failed to provide all details …”

According to the Associated Press,

“Gov. Scott Walker appointed Screnock as a Sauk County judge in 2015. In his application for the position, Screnock checked “no” when asked if he’d ever been cited or convicted. Later in the application, however, he noted he had been cited during the protests in a short summary of the incidents.”

Per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story:

“… Screnock and dozens of other protesters calling themselves “rescue workers” blocked access to the Bread and Roses Women’s Medical Center in Madison, which has since closed. Like many of the others, Screnock at first refused to give his name and had to be booked as John Doe until he identified himself.”

He also remains unrepentant about his actions, telling the reporter:

“… it’s not something I’ve ever regretted doing.”

Ross concluded, “Michael Screnock failed to fully disclose the disconcerting details of his arrests when asking Gov. Walker to put him on the bench. As he seeks a promotion to the state’s highest court we need to know if he similarly misled on his application to join the state bar and practice law in Wisconsin.”