(Photo of Solis by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Judge’s own public records request showed 18 prosecutors, but he told the committee there were only “three or four” left
KENOSHA, Wis. – At Wednesday night’s Judiciary and Law Committee meeting, Judge Chad Kerkman delivered a seemingly pre-scripted attack on District Attorney Xavier Solis. Working in step with acting chairman John Franco, Kerkman falsely claimed the DA’s Office had only “three or four ADAs left” and complained about the office refusing plea deals in certain cases — many of which involve child pornography, violent crimes, and other offenses with traumatized victims.
The facts are far different. The DA’s Office currently has 16 prosecutors, according to a recent public records request, with seven more already hired or soon to be hired. Solis himself has personally tried multiple violent cases during his short tenure, including an attempted domestic homicide where a man set his girlfriend on fire — convicted by a jury in under 45 minutes — and a serial bank robber convicted in less than half an hour.
One of Kerkman’s biggest complaints — and one that came off as whiny to observers — was that Solis did not attend a meeting Kerkman had invited him to.
Kerkman knowingly lied to the committee when he claimed there were only three or four ADAs left. He himself had filed a public records request for the same information that KCE obtained, which showed there were 18 ADAs at the time he received it. Despite having that knowledge, he misled the committee and the public.
Roughly half of those ADAs — all liberal-leaning — left before Solis ever took office. The rest either left during his tenure or are planning to leave soon. Solis, however, has kept pace with the departures by aggressively hiring both new ADAs and support staff to ensure the office remains fully functional.
Judge Kerkman also told the committee, “The DA himself didn’t bother showing up for a restraining… uh… a restitution hearing today. So the victim didn’t get the restitution money because the DA didn’t bother to show up. It’s terrible.” That too was an outright lie. First, Wisconsin law does not require the DA to appear at a restitution hearing unless it is held at or before sentencing or the court specifically orders it (Wis. Stat. § 973.20(14)(a)). Second, the victim didn’t appear in court, and a victim must personally appear and testify to establish restitution. Without that testimony, restitution cannot be awarded regardless of whether the DA is present. This not only shows Kerkman lied, but also highlights his lack of basic knowledge of the law.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Solis fired back with a blistering statement:
“I apologize for hurting Judge Chad Kerkman’s feelings and inflated ego by not attending his meeting. My focus must remain on prosecuting criminals, holding bad actors accountable, and getting the office fully staffed,” Solis said. “Judge Kerkman’s statement that there is one prosecutor per courtroom is incorrect. There are at least two prosecutors assigned to each criminal branch. Yes, we are short-staffed, but we are reloading. In the last month alone, I have hired seven new prosecutors.”
Solis also noted that his office has no obligation to offer plea deals — especially to sexual predators and violent gang members. “The reality is this office is fully prepared to bring violent offenders to justice — and we’re proving it in the courtroom.”
He further dismantled Kerkman’s claim of DA’s Office experience: “Judge Kerkman has also attempted to dictate how I should run my office by claiming he once worked here. The truth is he was only an intern and was never hired as an Assistant District Attorney. He is not in the criminal rotation, but currently assigned to juvenile and family court.”
Solis emphasized the broader fight: “I believe firmly in the Constitution and the separation of powers. As District Attorney, I represent the executive branch. Judge Kerkman represents the judicial branch. He is not my boss, nor am I his. The Kenosha political swamp may not have wanted me as District Attorney, but the people’s voice is stronger and louder. They elected me, and I serve them — not the swamp or the status quo.”
Kerkman, a lifelong liberal who opposed Solis in last year’s election, has been a relentless critic since Solis was sworn in. He even threatened retaliation after Solis ended a secret program that dismissed criminal charges against illegal immigrants.
The political backdrop makes Kerkman’s outburst even more telling. Acting chairman John Franco’s wife is a board member of the Democratic Party of Kenosha County, and Franco himself previously served on the party’s board. Just last night, the party’s chairwoman also spoke out against Solis — signaling that these courthouse attacks are part of a coordinated effort by local Democrats to weaken the DA.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
And right on cue, state-sponsored media “reporter” Dave Kollath of WGTD immediately parroted Kerkman’s false remarks to attack Solis, further illustrating how courthouse insiders, Democratic operatives, and their media allies are working in lockstep to undermine the reforms Kenosha voters demanded. Kollath referred to Judge Kerkman as Kenoshs’s “Chief Judge.” Kerkman was never and is not the Chief Judge. Racine County Circuit Court Judge Wynne Laufenberg is the Chief Judge.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Terry Flores, a liberal activist reporter for the Kenosha News, was contacted by the local Democratic Party and is expected to write about Kerkman’s false allegations, though she will likely spin the story to attack Solis.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
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76 Responses
His judicial photo says enough, arrogant turd.
Get rid of GTD public funding, and sue them for false information?
Kerkman needs to be reported.
Judicial conduct boards or ethics committees that investigate complaints about judges
Bar associations that handle professional conduct issues
Local government oversight mechanisms
Obtain public records requests to document what was said and done
Many judges, commissioners, and GALS think they are above the law. This is not the first complaint I heard about a local judge and prob won’t be the last. The GAL complaints are even worse. Even courthouse staffers are noticing.
Name and shame.
So true, one particular GAL is awful. Doesn’t investigate, ignores clear evidence, just does whatever the hell she wants and no one holds her accountable. Corruption at its finest!
Judge Kerman is the Deputy Chief Judge for the Second Judicial District (Kenosha, Racine and Walworth Counties)
And clearly a turd.
Only Raymond Slater uses that adjective.Please stop.
Thanks for confirming that he is not the chief judge like I wrote. Just like the vice president, he has no authority unless somebody else croaks
Or duties are delegated/shared.
Solis emphasized the broader fight: “I believe firmly in the Constitution and the separation of powers. As District Attorney, I represent the executive branch. Judge Kerkman represents the judicial branch. He is not my boss, nor am I his. The Kenosha political swamp may not have wanted me as District Attorney, but the people’s voice is stronger and louder. They elected me, and I serve them — not the swamp or the status quo.”
Keep fighting the fight DA Solis. Those who elected you stand with you.
Great article!
We’d love to see the “swamp” exposed. Unveil everyone in this dirty game. This would anger enough citizen’s to get out and vote. Otherwise it’s the same old same old. No changes made. The uninformed will continue electing the bad apples.
Both Kerkman’s need to be run out of town on a rail. Dishonest liberals infatuated with thenselves.
When did Samantha Kerkman (assuming you’re referring to her) become a liberal? Correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t she always been a Republican? Or is she considered a RINO?
As RINO as they come
… as some would like her to be. True most county employees are not republican or conservative so there is always pushback but still she needs to make more stands and ruffle a few more feathers if she wants to continue the past trend of staying in that office until she doesn’t want it anymore.
Like the Sheriff, County Executive is ripe for a strong candidate to swoop in on the Republican side.
So far Sam is far from strong. She needs to step it up or step out.
I wanna know why they for divorced and he kept the kids
Well, because she was having an affair with this younger guy.
Kerkmans eyes are weird looking. That left one looks like it wants to run away
It’s a walleye. 🐟
Not a great judge and based on his marriage about as good a lover.
The one place political opposition should never be evident is the courtroom, or courthouse. DA Solis has been in office less than 1 year.
, replacing a long history of issues in the office. Any manager at any business who replaces a tenured manager is going to cause change to happen. It is inherent in to human nature. Kenosha County elected the man to bring changes to the office. He should be given the chance to do so without judicial influence. In review of County Website there are 15 ADA’s listed, with 8 branches, that is just under 2 ADA’S per courtroom, with Solis it is exactly 2 per court. Some branches would require less, criminal courts more. There is a shortage of ADA’s throughout the state and has been for several years. Recent pay increases approved by the Governor and legislature to help recruit. Current open positions on state website has 25 ADA positions. Is there an established state standard? (“X” ADA per court)
“Should never be” and reality clash in highly charged political polarization and hyper-partisan tribalism. DA Solis has his work cut out, no doubt. Best wishes to Eye’s local meme effect to sufficiently expand so to get Kerkman removed and the Federal Maga Doge’s funding cuts to what has become the farce of public broadcasting get the Democrat media parasite Cole chopped off the air permanently.
Not all 8 handle criminal cases.
I am aware of that.
All this is, Is a way to make Solis look bad by the ones that are Corrupt, there no question the DA office is Dysfunctional in the past and Current. Due to the extreme corruption that is there, Its going to take time and hard work by Solis to fix it. You are doing a great job Solis don’t let these individuals knock you done. Kenosha stands woth you MAKE IT GREAT AGAIN !!!
The eyes say it all. Mental defect for sure
There is, without question, something decidedly off about Kerkman. First, his wife cheated on him with a younger stallion, which naturally led to his divorce. This was followed by his rather spirited escapades with T. Claire in the cabin by the lake, and now—just to complete the picture—we have the photo with Sargent Hard. Altogether, it paints the unmistakable portrait of someone who has yet to step out of the closet, which would certainly explain his temper tantrums and general disdain for humanity.
His wife cheated…. ??
oh lord, catch up.
Are you new in town? Everyone who was around when it happened knows about it. You can always ask, or have one of those woke journalists ask him. Why do you think they got divorced? For an observer, you seem to miss quite a lot.
Assumption u r.
Assumptive a h u r. U don’t know much.
Must have happened before my time. 2008. I’ve always been curious. She’s not a prize, and he got the kids. One of my gfs was messing around with him back in 2018, she thought he was a prize
You were able to determine this from photos? Or were you part of the cabin trip? Wow! You must be Kenosha’s version of Miss Cleo. I hope karma bites back and you find yourself on the wrong end of gossip.
Does this story have a happy ending ?
Judge Kerkman is known for having a short fuse, having favorites (and not) and playing politics.
Anyone woman who has him assigned to her case should exercise her right to substitute and get a new judge. Anyone would be better for her than him. Even local attorneys know that he favors men. Not sure how he gets away with it. Prob because they all get away with stuff. Kenosha courts are bad news.
It sounds like the left is scared Solis will lock them up! Pedo’s beware, Solis is not playing games! This is what I voted for! Drain the swamp! Lock the Pedo’s, criminals and abusers up! No one is above the law.
Part about the plea deals are true. Some people deserve a plea deal. Obviously some do not.
Mr. Graveley didn’t offer them either in cases as abhorrent as the couple abusing children. Those go straight to the dumpster. There’s no need to be empathetic with them.
I think we all need to take a step back. I’m not a fan of this judge or his ex-wife and think WGTD needs more balance in its community coverage. That said, is what the judge said wrong?
1. There is a statewide prosecutor shortage and one locally. Even if Xavier is at full staff it still takes time to get newbies up to speed. This could take a year or more.
2. The judge was asked for his impression of the situation. He said it was a “mess.” That’s his opinion and he cited missed deadlines, discovery not being provided to defense attorneys, etc. These are not inconsequential complaints.
3. Xavier is right that the courts don’t run the D.A.’s office and vice versa but that doesn’t mean that what one does doesn’t affect the other.
4. What the judge is complaining about is a symptom of an understaffed district attorney’s office with a lack of experienced prosecutors. Not just a problem here but exacerbated by the mass exodus of prosecutors locally.
Judge Kerkman can be moody and difficult but he’s not necessarily wrong to say that it’s a “mess.” And WGTD did reach out to Xavier for his response and he declined comment.
It will take time for this to shake itself out. It’s not easy because Xavier can’t get help from elsewhere in the interim because just about everyone else is short staffed. All he can do is juggle and hope the pins don’t crash.
I agree with you. These are just a few issues in that a happening at Kenosha County Circuit Court. I’m glad to see the prayers of people finally being effective,
Both of these guys need to just STFU and do their jobs.
Guess who loses otherwise? All of us.
His wife? cheated on him?…….? Oh Lordy. Pls Catch up on this. A pic with Sgt HARD would be better abd more belueveabl with a pic of his mommy joined at his hip.
So, either you didn’t know, or you knew and chose to keep it hidden. You sent three separate messages. That says enough
What a f head u r
Oh definitely, you can’t hide it. The year, the name of the lover. It’s public record. Later buddy and remember We Won✊
Xavier Solis is a breath of fresh air and a class act. Thank God for him.As for the sorry excuse for a judge-Kerkman needs to go.
Those of us of a certain age grew up with the saying, “You’re either part of the solution or part of the problem.”
Some people, including judges, like to complain but fail to offer any meaningful solutions.
Keep an EYE on Kerkman.
I don’t know who cheated on who , but having your picture taken with Sgt. Hard certainly shows a lack of circumspection. Bye the way , whatever happened to Andy Berg ?
Go Solis, go Solis, go Solis🤩
Is he related to Jerry Kerkman, who was given a plea deal for misdemeanor 4th degree sexual assault after initially being charged with 1st degree sexual assault of a child under 13 years of age?
Well his was born and raised in Twin lakes…. That explains it all.
It’s a walleye. 🐟
Good gracious! First impression of Kerkman’s judicial photo is that there apparently other issues in Wisconsin that need to be investigated. Such as how is it possible that the DMV passed Kerkmans eye exam? Just one glance should had been an indication that he isn’t wired right?
Possibly Sgt. Hard is driving Ms. Daisy home after work? (In a vehicle I meant).
Off the beaten path some, can’t help wondering if the offspring are cross eyed or promiscuous?
Viewing the picture of Kerkman and Sgt. Hard, Hope Kerkmans front crooked tooth doesn’t injure Sgt. Hard.
Bet his nickname with his guy friends is Snaggle Tooth.
Kerkman needs to pulled off the Bench should have been done long time ago same with jason ,
I would like to see Michaels on there he is in tune with reality and cares for Kenosha more then any of them
Are line up should be
Police chief Patton
Sherrif Eric Klinkhammer
judge William Michaels
DA Solis
Kevin Matthewson investigator for DA office
Now there a Dream team that would make Kenosha great again
let get this done !
KM would make the best DA investigator, granting the DA independent investigative authority in those unusual cases where law enforcement reports lack clarity. However, we prefer to keep him in his current role, doing what he does best, by keeping the public informed about facts they would otherwise never learn.
William Michel is terrible!
Who is the investigator now??
SGT Hard & Judge Hardly
LMAO
I knew I was taking a chance when I contacted Mr. Solis and asked him to put a campaign sign in my yard, after all I didn’t know much about him.
But I did know he leaned Conservative so I threw my support behind him. Since he was elected, I haven’t regretted
my decision one time. Keep fighting this crazy liberal Kenosha swamp, Mr. Solis! We are with you!! You are
doing great things for this community.
What makes everyone believe that DA solis is perfect? I have heard from multiple sources how solis really is. He puts on a good act for the public I can tell you that for sure.
He is not. He is trying to
Couldn’t agree anymore.
Another crooked cry baby liberal piece of shit who can’t handle seeing his corrupted buddies in the corrupt court system lose to an honest conservative DA who actually cares about us “the people” and isn’t bought by anyone and who just wants to put away the “bad guys” who are a threat to the public and especially “children!” Attention liberals: GO FUCK YOURSELVES!
So, is that the same Terry Flores who once ran a magazine called Frontera? The very same Terry Flores who wrote articles defending the illegal Ezequiel Lopez, the turd who killed Deputy Fabiano? And she’s still around reporting crap? Remarkable.
Solis was criticized for not attending a restitution hearing.
Wisconsin law places the burden on the victim to prove restitution. The district attorney has certain mandatory duties with respect to victims but representing one at a post-sentencing restitution hearing is not one of them unless ordered to by a judge. Having said this, in the past the Kenosha DA’s office appeared as a friend of the court to assist the victim even though technically not representing them.