Wisconsin Judicial Commission charged Winnebago County judge with threatening attorneys, demanding $28,000 payment over political support

On August 3, 2026, the Wisconsin Judicial Commission filed a formal misconduct complaint with the Wisconsin Supreme Court against Winnebago County Circuit Court Judge Scott Woldt, alleging he used his judicial office to threaten and retaliate against attorneys who did not support his 2023 reelection campaign. The complaint states that weeks after Woldt won a contested election to another six-year term, he confronted several attorneys at an April 25, 2023 gathering at a tap room near the Winnebago County courthouse in Oshkosh, telling a public defender whose office had not endorsed him that it had made a serious mistake in not doing so. When another attorney who had displayed a yard sign for Woldt's opponent tried to shake his hand, Woldt refused, warned of "consequences" for supporting the opponent, and said, "You're dead to me" — then told the attorney the campaign had personally cost him $28,000 and to "write out a check and we are all good."

The complaint separately alleges that during a June 2023 civil commitment hearing, Woldt questioned a Filipino-descent psychiatrist testifying as an expert witness about whether she understood English or had hearing difficulties, after perceiving she had not stood when he entered the courtroom — later telling her to "get off your butt" when the bailiff calls a courtroom to rise and asking, "Do you understand me?" The commission cites five Wisconsin Supreme Court rules requiring judges to act with impartiality and treat those before them "with patience, dignity, and courtesy."

Woldt, a circuit court judge since 2004, was previously suspended seven days without pay in 2021 for separate, unrelated misconduct involving undignified courtroom language and displaying a firearm as a courtroom prop. Through his attorney, Woldt has "vigorously contested" the new allegations, denies wrongdoing, and characterizes his campaign-related remarks as protected free speech. A three-judge Wisconsin Court of Appeals panel — Jennifer Nashold, Gregory Gill and Sara Geenen — was appointed to review the complaint and recommend whether he should be disciplined.