
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — Nearly two months after Kenosha County Eye exclusively reported that Court Commissioner William "Bargain Bail Billy" Michel II had been fired, newly released public records confirm that Kenosha County Chief Judge Wynne Laufenberg personally made the decision to terminate him on May 15, 2026. The records also reveal the reasons she cited for his removal, while raising new questions among legal insiders about the quality of the termination letter itself.

(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
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3 Responses
He honestly looked like a weirdo. Not a good look for whoever hired him
No surprises.
Re: “Several attorneys also observed that nowhere in the letter does Laufenberg actually conclude Michel made the wrong legal decision.”
That’s a great point. You can’t fire a guy because of subsequent events that were out of his control and that he couldn’t predict. If that were the case, then every single restraining order would automatically be granted without a hearing.
And if Lauf doesn’t need to give any reason at all to terminate him, then why is she trying to cobble together some sort of irrational, hindsight justification? The substance of the letter matches is form: piss-poor.