(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. – In our recent reporting, KCE detailed how the Wisconsin Court of Appeals overturned yet another one of Judge Chad Kerkman’s rulings—this time for stripping a mother of her fundamental rights and her child without due process. But the case goes even deeper. It highlights a troubling pattern: Kerkman’s repeated attacks on a local attorney, referred to by the appellate court under the pseudonym “Beth.”
KCE knows who this attorney is and is well aware of his prior attempts to target her. For now, we will continue to respect the appellate court’s use of “Beth.”
The mother, anticipating she might be taken into custody, signed a legal document authorizing her trusted friend to care for her newborn. The arrangement was straightforward and, according to the appellate court, lawful. But Kerkman seized on it—“reviewing” the paperwork and then unilaterally declaring it invalid. His justification? He accused Beth of ethical violations, and on that basis alone, he nullified the document.
The Court of Appeals dismantled that reasoning in no uncertain terms. “This court is unaware of any legal authority stating that [the] power of attorney is invalid,” the appellate court wrote. Addressing the claim of supposed ethical breaches, the court was equally clear: “This court is similarly unaware of any legal authority supporting the conclusion that [this] scenario would result in an ethical violation of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys…”
Even when straining to understand Kerkman’s rationale, the court found nothing to support it. “And, even if this court was to conclude that Beth’s involvement in this matter rose to the level of an ethical violation in some manner, there is no support for the conclusion that the ensuing remedy is the invalidation of a legal document to which the attorney who violated the rules is not a named party,” the opinion stated.
For Beth, and for any attorney in this position, these kinds of unfounded accusations carry a heavy burden. That’s because the Office of Lawyer Regulation treats judicial complaints with particular seriousness. When a judge levels accusations of ethical misconduct—even baseless ones—it can follow an attorney for years.
This is not the first time Kerkman—commonly referred to by some local lawyers as “Jerkman”—has aimed his fire at Beth, and once again, he has failed. By contaminating the entire case with unsupported claims of misconduct, he denied the litigant a fair trial. The appeals court noted that Anna, the mother in this case, was never given any chance to challenge Kerkman’s conclusion that the paperwork was invalid due to an alleged ethical violation.
According to multiple attorneys familiar with his courtroom, this is Kerkman’s method of operation: to “rule” with an iron fist, shutting down questions and blocking challenges even when he is clearly in error. As one veteran attorney put it, “In his mind, he is always right, no matter how many times a higher court tells him he got it wrong.”
In the end, Kerkman’s attack on Beth backfired. His accusations crumbled under appellate scrutiny, and the mother is now entitled to a new trial. For many in the local legal community, this case is just the latest evidence of a judge who confuses power with law—and keeps getting reversed because of it.
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21 Responses
Scary dude indeed. Anyone in authority who insists on absolute obedience is dangerous. This includes ALL tyrants, no matter what their political persuasion.
Yes, even Trump.
and your boyfriend
lol nice try 🤣
Fuck off libtarded dumocratic moron!
You make a lot of sense!
He ruled without merit in a divorce case, damaging a father’s relationship with his child. I believe he favors certain attorneys and rules in their favor. There is no chance to speak or explain, when he has made up his mind BEFORE hearing both sides.
Where did this cross eyed clown get his law degree?
Not sure , but his eyes really cross when T. Claire is slipping him the flesh popsicle .
Kook-eyes & T. Clair pole-smoker got his law degree from UW-Madison and bachelor’s degree from Purdue.
The self-anointed king fails once again.
How totally humiliating for him, and utterly incompetent.
He needs to go, the whole dang thing is corrupt and of course he going to side with certain attorneys is nothing but the good o boy club down in that courthouse.
An Attorney once told me. I can’t fight that hard ! I still need to practice law in this town, I can’t be black balled, why would she say that? This court system is so corrupt and broken on the personal agendas that they have.
How to we go about starting a petition to get this guy and other out of are courtrooms
Huge props to the writer of this article for exposing truth. If only this very small man, masquerading as a practitioner of justice, was himself, legally obligated to pay restitution for his moral wrongness, his pathetic abuse of power. Furthermore, lest we not forget or minimize, his 100% culpability in the lives he’s dismantled.
Apparently any dumbass libtarded dumocratic moron can become a judge these days! Was he appointed by Obama too? What a joke our system is! Our system needs complete overhaul because Trump is right by saying we live in a banana republic!! GO TRUMP! ✊️✊️✊️
Keep drinking that kool-aid!
https://youtu.be/U1FxfR3lg6Q?si=il-qQC_cx6sUJ_Xj
Agreed, go Trump. But, this is a state court judge. Obama didn’t appoint him.
These evil people run this town. They’re terrorists called the democratic party. All liars and phony evil people.