Michael Gableman

Michael Gableman
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
In office
August 1, 2008 – July 31, 2018
Preceded byLouis B. Butler
Succeeded byRebecca Dallet
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Burnett Circuit
In office
May 2002 – July 31, 2008
Appointed byScott McCallum
Preceded byJames Taylor
Succeeded byKenneth Kutz
District Attorney of Ashland County
In office
May 1999 – May 2002
Appointed byTommy Thompson
Preceded byJ. B. Van Hollen
Succeeded bySean Duffy
Personal details
Born (1966-09-18) September 18, 1966 (age 58)
West Allis, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Education

Michael J. Gableman (born September 18, 1966) is an American lawyer and former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[1] A Republican, he has been described as a hard-line conservative.[2]

From June 2021 until August 2022, Gableman was employed as a "special counsel" by Wisconsin Assembly speaker Robin Vos to investigate the results of the 2020 United States presidential election in Wisconsin. His fourteen-month investigation resulted in various unsubstantiated accusations against municipal clerks and members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and cost the state more than two million dollars. Gableman himself became a lightning rod for controversy and was the subject of several lawsuits and personal disputes with other officials; he was ultimately fired by Vos just three days after the August 2022 primary elections in Wisconsin.[3] Vos later referred to Gableman as "an embarrassment to the state".[4] In a February 2024 settlement to one lawsuit, Assembly Republican leadership conceded that Gableman had also violated state public records laws during his investigation.[5]

  1. ^ Marley, Patrick (June 15, 2017). "Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman will not seek second term". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Epstein, Reid J. (June 29, 2021). "Wisconsin G.O.P. Wrestles With Just How Much to Indulge Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference fired was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Kremer, Rich (September 19, 2022). "Former 2020 election investigator Michael Gableman hints at revolution in speech to Outagamie County Republicans". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  5. ^ Schmidt, Mitchell (February 24, 2024). "Michael Gableman violated public records law, Assembly leaders acknowledge". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved February 26, 2024.