Judging Judges

Judge Judges by their Actions

“Faith” does not excuse Illegality

Judge Brian Hagedorn and many of his supporters have bought into the false narrative that his critics are just attacking his faith and not accepting of his claimed ability to put his religious beliefs aside when deciding cases that come before him. He chooses to advance this false narrative rather than address directly the propriety of his actions over the years

When I pointed out that he had spent his adult life criticizing and demeaning homosexuals and those with gender dysphoria, this was not an attack on his Christian beliefs. They were direct attacks upon his actions that show he actively discriminates against protected classes of human beings in violation of the law. Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land because the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the U.S. Constitution to protect those marriages the same as those between members of opposite gender or sexual orientation. Hagedorn’s paid speeches to a hate group that actively promotes forced sterilization and other illegal acts against homosexual and transgendered people show that he does not support the rule of law, much less the constitutional guarantees we all enjoy.

While ours is a nation built upon Judeo-Christian values, it is not a “Christian” nation. Our governing constitutions prohibit state sanctioned religions or required religious doctrines. There are no religious tests for those holding public office. One does not have to be a Christian to get elected. You can be, but it is not a requirement for holding office. Our founders believed that America is a place where all religious faiths are welcomed and honored. All religions are equal in the eyes of the law. Our founders also established that while we are individually free to worship or not as we see fit, we may not and our governing bodies certainly may not impose specific religious beliefs or doctrines on others. We do not allow one set of religious beliefs to the exclusion of all or even some of the others. 

Christian evangelicals, like Judge Hagedorn, are free to believe what they want about their religious teachings. They are not free to impose those beliefs upon those who have different beliefs. By actively engaging in discriminatory practices in the “faith based” school he founded and still helps run, he violates those rules that prohibit such discrimination and demonstrates that he puts his “faith” above the rule of law that establishes we are all equal. This is intolerable behavior for anyone and beyond the pale for public officials in any office.

I do not know for sure if Judge Hagedorn can or will put aside his religious beliefs when cases involving same sex marriages or state obligations to treat gender dysphoria will come before our Supreme Court. Given his track record of discriminatory activities, I am not willing to give him a ten-year term in office to find out. Let him decide cases presenting these issues while sitting on the Court of Appeals and build a track record of fair and neutral sexual orientation and gender dysphoria decisions. If he can do that, then maybe he will have demonstrated the qualities needed to be a Justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

We cannot afford to go backward in our equality for all jurisprudence.

Waring Fincke is a retired attorney who serves as a guardian for the elderly and disabled with a Sheboygan County non-profit agency.

Kewaskum School Board Turmoil

Kewaskum School Elections Matter

Ramthun must go.

As a new resident of the Village of Kewaskum, I set about learning how my new community works. As a long-time supporter of quality public education, I started looking at the Kewaskum School District and learned of its exceptional reputation for providing excellent educational opportunities for its students. As I dug a little deeper, I learned that the Kewaskum School Board has become overly distracted by the unfortunate actions of two of its members. To say that the Board is in turmoil is an understatement. School District records reveal the following information.

In recent months, a majority of the Board voted to censure both members, one repeatedly, for their actions. First, Jim Leister was censured for conduct at a high school athletic event that was clearly unbecoming a member of the Board. Rather than examine his behavior, recognize that it was unacceptable and apologize, Leister complained that the other members of the Board were out to get him. His remarks at the January meeting tried to shift the blame and claim the mantle of “victim.” It did not matter that several witnesses at the game filed the initial complaints against Leister. It was and is appropriately up to the Board to respond. He also claimed that his many contributions to the community and service to the District ought to count for something and somehow entitled him to a pass for his conduct.

The censure votes for the second member are even more troubling. Tim Ramthun serves on the School Board and has a history of promoting himself as the guardian of the taxpayer’s dollar. He recently was elected to serve as the Assembly Representative for the 59^th District that includes Kewaskum and other surrounding communities, some of which also contain their own school districts. 

Ramthun’s conduct was found by the Board to violate several Board policies. First, Ramthun had an email exchange with a parent about the hiring of a district employee. In the exchange, Ramthun represented that his opinions were that of the Board and that the District’s hiring and dismissal policies are “crap.” He also wrote that the issue would take time to resolve because of the opposition of other “Kool-Aid drinking” Board members. While Board members are free to express personal opinions about the district, none are allowed to represent those opinions as those of the rest of the Board. 

After first professing an apology and a desire to work with the Board, Ramthun soon started painting himself as the “victim” of some conspiracy by the rest of the Board to oust him. To make his point, Ramthun embarked upon a crusade to nitpick and waste District resources seeking details about policies, budgets and personnel. He refuses to put his requests in writing to ensure an accurate response. He has refused to meet with the Board President to work out his concerns. His concerns seem tailored to paint himself as the taxpayer’s guardian and over inflate his own importance. 

Ramthun was next censured for making false statements at a Village Board meeting about the District and exceeding his authority by claiming to speak on behalf of the Board. Rather than agree that his violation of District policy was wrong, he went after one of the other Board members who voted for the censure. 

Board member Mark Sette is a long-term employee of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, currently serving as a Detective. In my previous career as a criminal defense lawyer in Washington County, I had many occasions to work cases involving Det. Sette’s investigations. I never had any reason to doubt his credibility or the quality of his work. He was one of those cops I learned to trust. 

After the last Ramthun censure, our newly elected state Representative took it upon himself to contact Washington County Sheriff, Martin Schulteis, to complain about Det. Sette’s conduct as a school board member that Ramthun claimed was giving the Department a “black-eye.” Ramthun tried to use his new position as an Assembly Representative to convince the Sheriff that he should force Sette to resign from the Board due to an unspecified “conflict of interest.” Wisely, the Sheriff declined and told Ramthun he would not take any action against the Detective. 

Going outside established Board policy, while flexing imaginary muscle as a State Representative, and trying to get another Board member ousted crosses so many lines, they are difficult to count. Ramthun continually shows a complete disregard for the rules governing his position with the District.

Even without consideration of Ramthun’s conduct, he has his own conflict of interest issues to consider. Serving as a member of the Assembly responsible for providing public school funding for the multiple school districts in his Assembly District, he may well have to vote on legislation that favors one of the school districts he represents over ours. Either way he votes, he could do harm to our district on whose governing Board he sits. 

Ramthun needs to resign from the Kewaskum School Board and certainly does not deserve to be re-elected to that post in the upcoming election on April 2^nd.

Waring Fincke is a retired attorney and serves as a guardian for the elderly and disabled for a Sheboygan County non-profit agency.