The Quotes: WILL Deputy Counsel, Lucas Vebber, stated, “IRG, and every Wisconsinite, has a fundamental right to hold government officials accountable and then to be able to talk about those efforts in the public domain. Unfortunately, the Judicial Commission’s process operates behind closed doors, prohibiting public discourse and scrutiny of its actions. The lawsuit seeks to ensure every Wisconsinite can learn about requests for investigation brought against members of the judiciary. Our lawsuit makes clear that no one is above the law.”
Jacob Curtis, General Counsel for WILL client IRG, stated, “The Wisconsin Judicial Commission’s gag order that prevents IRG from communicating its critical oversight work to the public violates the First Amendment and cannot stand. Public accountability for the judicial branch is essential to ensuring public trust in government. One of the core pillars for IRG is exercising oversight, not undermining government, but ensuring Wisconsinites can trust government is working as it should. IRG is thankful to have an ally like WILL that consistently defends first principles.”
Additional Background: IRG filed a “Request for Investigation” with the Wisconsin Judicial Commission asking the Commission to open an investigation into alleged judicial misconduct. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission subsequently dismissed the request. Wisconsin Chapter 757 prohibits parties requesting investigations from disclosing details surrounding the request if it is denied.
WILL sent a letter to the Commission seeking to clarify whether the confidentiality provisions applied even when no investigation was opened, and the Commission refused to provide any answers or clarity. As a result, IRG cannot disclose anything about the investigation they sought, even though the Commission dismissed the request and there is no ongoing investigation.
Why This Matters Beyond This Case: The WJC is made up of appointed members including the public at large, lawyers and judges. Wisconsin law allows “any person to file a complaint alleging judicial misconduct or disability.” But when the WJC can deny any complaint and the story simply ends there, Wisconsinites are left without any way to hold their government accountable, or any recourse to ensure that the WJC is doing its job.
By taking on this case, we hope to ensure all of Wisconsin’s government officials, even those in the judicial branch, are accountable under the law.
Read More:
- Complaint, September 2025
Lucas Vebber
Deputy Counsel