Loudenslager for Wisconsin Court of Appeals Press Release

ANTIGO – Aaron Loudenslager, a former judicial law clerk at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and staff attorney at the Dane County Circuit Court, announced his candidacy today for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals – District 3 in the April 2021 election.

“In Wisconsin, judicial campaigns are too often dominated by monied interests—and this has two disastrous effects on the public-at-large,” said Loudenslager. “First, it has the effect of filtering and distorting a judicial candidate’s merit, falsely equating money, fundraising wherewithal, and political connections with judicial acumen. Second, it likely has the effect of influencing a judicial candidate’s future decisions, whether unconsciously or not. Unlike most judicial campaigns in Wisconsin, my campaign will explicitly remove the filtering and distorting influence of monied interests by accepting no outside funds—and I will impose a $800 limitation with regard to my own financial contributions to the campaign. Doing so will ensure that I will be an impartial judge who is not beholden to private interests.”

Loudenslager, who grew up enjoying reading books and playing sports, was raised in Antigo, Wisconsin. During his senior year of high school, he was the starting offensive left-tackle for the varsity football team.

After graduating from Antigo High School, Loudenslager attended Northern Michigan University, where he double majored in economics and political science, with an emphasis in pre-law. As a representative in student government (ASNMU), he advocated for the then-judicial branch of student government—the All Student Judiciary, which also adjudicated alleged violations of the university’s student code—to engage in “concrete judicial review” of student governmental action, and later he introduced legislation to create the ASNMU Constitutional Judiciary which, unlike the All Student Judiciary, would not adjudicate alleged violations of the university’s student code, and would focus solely on questions of constitutionality under the ASNMU Constitution. His efforts eventually culminated in the creation of the ASNMU Judiciary

“As a judge, I will advocate for more staffing and judicial resources at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals,” said Loudenslager. “As a report completed in 2001 indicates, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals is in significant need of more staffing and judicial resources. While monied interests have targeted judicial campaigns in Wisconsin with lavish campaign contributions and independent expenditures, the state’s criminal justice system continues to deteriorate, with a lack of adequate funding for both prosecutors and public defenders—not to mention the state court system as a whole.”

After receiving the 2012 NMU Political Science Outstanding Graduating Senior award and graduating from NMU magna cum laude, Loudenslager attended the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he served as an intern to then-Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Shirley Abrahamson, and then later as an extern at the Criminal Appeals Unit of the Wisconsin Department of Justice. During law school, he was also a managing editor for the Wisconsin Law Review.

After graduating from law school, Loudenslager was a judicial law clerk at the Sauk County Circuit Court for Judge James Evenson, Judge Guy Reynolds, and Judge Michael Screnock. He subsequently served one term as a judicial law clerk for Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Mark A. Seidl in Wausau, Wisconsin. He later served as a staff attorney at the Dane County Circuit Court for Judge William Hanrahan, Judge Ellen Berz, Judge Everett Mitchell, and Judge John Hyland. During that time period, he testified before the Dane County Board of Supervisors’ Public Protection and Judiciary Committee about inadequate staffing levels—not only at the Dane County Circuit Court, but throughout the Wisconsin court system as a whole. After serving as a staff attorney at the Dane County Circuit Court, he subsequently started a solo law practice, specializing in criminal defense and appellate law.

“Finally, and most fundamental, when deciding cases as a judge, I will follow the law—regardless of my personal views,” said Loudenslager. “And when appropriate, I will write separate opinions expressing my disagreement with my colleagues’ interpretation of the law. As former United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens once said, ‘If you disagree you should say so. . . . I just feel I have an obligation to expose my views to the public.’”

His campaign can be found online at loudenslagerforwisconsincourtofappeals.com. A full campaign statement can be online at https://medium.com/@loudenslager/campaign-statement-loudenslager-for-wisconsin-court-of-appeals-e8f87e85ef50.

Loudenslager for Wisconsin Court of Appeals

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.