KENOSHA, Wis. – Kenosha County Eye has covered dozens of judges and commissioners over the years, but few have drawn more universal criticism across the legal spectrum than Court Commissioner William Michel II. In a county where both conservatives and liberals usually find something to agree on, Michel has managed to alienate them all. His erratic bail decisions, emotional volatility, and glaring lack of legal depth have become a running joke inside the courthouse — though no one’s laughing anymore.

Bail and Public Safety

Bill Michel has earned the ire of both conservatives and liberals alike. The conservatives can’t stand him because he gives ridiculously low bails that repeatedly put the public at risk. Bail is meant for many things, but the protection of the public is the most important for those who care about safety. Yet Michel treats bail as a revolving door, often letting repeat offenders walk right back out the same day they appear before him.

To contrast that, he sometimes goes in the opposite direction — setting unusually high bail for non-violent or minor offenses, which upsets the more liberal members of the defense bar. The result is a commissioner with no consistency, no balance, and no coherent philosophy. His decisions don’t appear rooted in law or reason, but rather mood and whim.

He’s been on the bench long enough to know better, but instead of applying the law evenly, he seems more concerned with how he looks in the eyes of Judge Kerkman — one of the judges who selected him for the job. Many attorneys quietly say that Michel’s rulings feel like they’re coming from upstairs, not from the man in the robe in front of them.

Demeanor on the Bench

For someone who occupies one of the most visible judicial roles in Kenosha County, Michel’s courtroom demeanor is nothing short of embarrassing. In one notorious incident, he exploded on a beloved interpreter in open court — all because of a petty disagreement over the difference between the words “translator” and “interpreter.” The interpreter, who was correct, kept calm while Michel was visibly losing control. The outburst was so unprofessional that he was later sent home for the day.

Not long after, Judge Kerkman scolded him — a frequent occurrence for those who work under him — but Michel didn’t take it like a professional. Instead, he reportedly burst into tears and stormed off the bench. That is not the temperament of someone fit to sit in judgment of others.

Recently, Michel skipped a mandatory judges’ meeting, claiming he had a dentist appointment. But courthouse insiders quickly learned the truth — he was at a Packers game, posting photos from the stands. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect from an unserious teenager, not from a man who presides over people’s liberty.

Legal Knowledge

Ask almost any defense attorney or prosecutor who’s appeared before him, and they’ll tell you the same thing: Michel doesn’t seem to understand the law. His rulings often defy logic, precedent, and even basic common sense. In one recent case, he presided over a preliminary hearing for a defendant charged with battery by prisoner.

During that hearing, defense attorney David Berman got the state’s witness to admit that it was the supposed victim — not the defendant — who threw the first object and chased the defendant. The witness also admitted that the defendant never hit the alleged victim and that the “victim” suffered no pain or injury. Despite that, Michel refused to dismiss the case and bound it over for trial anyway.

When Berman asked what testimony Michel was relying on to find probable cause, the commissioner froze like a deer in the headlights and muttered only, “The testimony is what it is.” That wasn’t just a bad ruling — it was an imbecilic one. As one defense attorney told Kenosha County Eye under condition of anonymity, “There’s no legal reasoning going on in that court. Just rubber-stamping for the state. It’s unreal.”

These are not isolated examples. Many times when Michel signs an arrest warrant, he sets a bail amount — then when the defendant appears in person, he inexplicably lowers the bail without any new evidence or changed circumstances. It’s an incoherent pattern that erodes respect for the bench and emboldens repeat offenders. And in the preliminary hearing context, it results in obviously innocent defendants having to stand trial in already congested courtrooms.

Blind Ambition

Bill Michel has been chomping at the bit to get on the government tit for many, many years. He’s run for judge at least twice, each time receiving so few votes that he couldn’t even make it past the primary. He applied for a judicial appointment and was rejected by the governor. He applied to be a court commissioner and was rejected by the judges at least once before finally being chosen later out of desperation.

His résumé is littered with failed attempts to climb the ladder. He served on the Kenosha County Board from 2003 to 2012, where he was one of its most liberal voices. He spearheaded the now-defunct policy banning guns in county buildings — a direct assault on the Second Amendment that revealed his ideological bias.

Michel’s loyalty to local liberal organizations is well known. He’s a member of the NAACP and has long aligned himself with the courthouse’s progressive bloc. Yet, ironically, even many liberal defense attorneys have lost patience with him. They don’t trust his legal judgment, and they’re tired of watching his rulings gum up the system.

His legal career is unimpressive. He was an assistant district attorney for just one year, a guardian ad litem for four, and a mediocre private attorney for two decades before finally getting his taxpayer-funded throne. Since then, he’s become dependent on direction from Judge Kerkman, calling him frequently for advice on basic procedural questions. As one insider put it, “He’s almost incapable of thinking for himself.”

Perhaps the most glaring recent example of Michel’s unfitness came when the District Attorney’s Office requested an arrest warrant for a woman accused of violating a restraining order. Michel denied the warrant after taking direction from Judge Kerkman — the same judge who happens to be friends with the woman in question. It was a blatant dereliction of duty and a betrayal of judicial independence.

Conclusion

For almost 25 years, Bill Michel was a mediocre attorney, and his elevation to court commissioner was a mistake. His courtroom is inefficient, his rulings are arbitrary, and his temperament is fragile. He’s alienated both sides of the political aisle and earned the distrust of many courtroom professionals in the county.

There’s a growing consensus in Kenosha’s legal community: Bill Michel doesn’t belong on the bench.

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