Liberals seek ouster of Trump lawyer from ethics panel

WISCONSIN

Troupis, who advised fake electors, should not be on judicial advice committee, critics say

By Scott Bauer

Associated Press

Liberals are calling for former President Donald Trump’s Wisconsin lawyer to step down from a state judicial ethics panel, saying he is unsuitable due to his role advising the fake Republican electors who admitted to taking part in an effort to overturn the 2020 election.

Jim Troupis, a former judge, was deeply involved in Trump’s efforts to overturn Wisconsin’s 2020 election results. He remains a defendant in a lawsuit filed against him, Trump’s attorney Ken Chesebro and the 10 fake Republican electors.

The electors agreed to a settlement in the lawsuit, but Troupis and Chesebro remain defendants.

Troupis has been a member of the Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee since 2020. The committee is charged with giving formal opinions and informal advice to judges and judicial officers related to the code of judicial conduct. The advice involves whether possible actions would be in compliance with the state’s judicial code of conduct.

The committee rarely issues formal written opinions and has not issued one since 2019, according to its website. Informal opinions are offered several times a year, said the committee’s chair Winnebago County Circuit Judge Bryan Keberlein.

A common question is whether a judge can use their official title when writing a book or blog post, Keberlein said. The purpose of the committee is to give advice prospectively so that judges don’t do something unethical, he said.

Keberlein declined to discuss the calls for Troupis to no longer serve on the panel.

Troupis’s place on the panel advising judges about possible ethical violations is improper given his involvement with the fake elector scheme, said Mike Browne, deputy director of the liberal advocacy group A Better Wisconsin Together.

Troupis was reappointed to serve on the judicial ethics panel in March by four conservative members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, including three who remain on the court.

Neither Troupis nor the justices who appointed him — Chief Justice Annette Ziegler and justices Rebecca Bradley and Brian Hagedorn — replied to messages seeking comment.