Ex-Wisconsin justice poised to lose law license over 2020 election review

By David Thomas

April 8 (Reuters) - A former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who led a Republican review of the state's 2020 election results has agreed to surrender his law license after he was accused of violating Wisconsin's professional rules for lawyers.

The former justice, Michael Gableman, filed a stipulation with the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) on Monday to suspend his license for three years. The agreement requires approval from the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which has final say on all disciplinary matters.

Gableman said in the filing that a November 2024 complaint OLR filed against him provides "an adequate factual basis in the record" and that he "cannot successfully defend against" the allegations.

A spokesperson for OLR declined to comment. An attorney for Gableman, who served on the state high court from 2008 to 2018, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos hired Gableman in June 2021 to investigate alleged voter fraud in Wisconsin's 2020 presidential election. Vos later fired Gableman in August 2022.

In March 2022, Gableman called on Wisconsin lawmakers to dissolve the state's bipartisan election commission, and suggested decertifying the results of the 2020 election. Democrat Joe Biden beat Republican Donald Trump in the battleground state by nearly 21,000 votes, according to recounts and a state audit affirming the result.

Gableman allegedly violated multiple professional rules during his investigation. He repeatedly made false statements, such as accusing city officials of refusing to cooperate with his investigation when they actually did, according to OLR's complaint. He also made disparaging remarks about his opposing counsel and a state judge.

The Wisconsin State Assembly paid $2.3 million for Gableman's investigation.

The attorney regulators also said Gableman violated confidentiality rules related to his representation of Vos while participating in failed efforts to have him recalled in the spring of 2024.