MADISON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Wednesday he will work with Sen. Tammy Baldwin to reconvene Wisconsin’s bipartisan nominating commission – but at the same time urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to keep Brad Schimel in charge of the U.S. attorney’s office in Milwaukee.
Federal judges in the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced March 10 they have declined to name Schimel the permanent U.S. attorney, ending his interim term in the position. His last day is expected to be March 16.
Schimel, 61, was named interim U.S. Attorney in November as the state’s bipartisan nominating committee failed to come to a consensus on a nominee for the position.
He was sworn in as the top federal prosecutor for the state’s Eastern District on Nov. 17, after being appointed by Bondi.
“It is bizarre that the Eastern District Court writes that they view Brad Schimel as performing well as an interim U.S. attorney but then declines to appoint him for the duration of the vacancy — especially when they are fully aware that Senate Democrats are obstructing the nomination and confirmation of U.S. attorneys throughout the country,” Johnson said in a statement.
On March 10, Chief Judge Pamela Pepper issued a statement saying the judges were declining to do that.
In the statement, Pepper said the decision should not be viewed as “criticism or commentary on the performance or qualifications” of Schimel or any of the attorneys in the office.
“To the credit of that office, from the Court’s perspective, it has continued to represent the citizens of this district well,” Pepper wrote.
The judges did not take a vote at the meeting, which was held March 9. Rather, they decided they did not want to insert themselves into the process.
“I am obviously disappointed in their decision. I encourage Attorney General Pam Bondi to utilize available authorities to keep Brad in charge of the U.S. attorney’s office,” Johnson said.
The Republican senator said he would also work with Baldwin, a Democrat, to reconvene the state’s federal nominating commission.
“Last year, the commission failed to produce recommendations for Wisconsin’s U.S. attorney offices because some commissioners refused to evaluate certain applicants based solely on their qualifications,” Johnson said. “I urge the commissioners not to inject partisan politics into their important work.”
The commission has also been unable to deliver a nominee for the U.S. Attorney position in the state’s Western District. Chadwick Elgersma was named acting U.S. Attorney by the Justice Department in July 2025. The Western District judges ultimately appointed Elgersma as the full-time U.S. Attorney earlier this year.
Baldwin has opposed Schimel holding the position from the start, and had recently urged the judges of the Eastern District not to keep Schimel on.
“I’m glad that the judges of the Eastern District of Wisconsin are respecting the process that Senator Johnson and I have to get high-quality, impartial prosecutors to serve Wisconsin,” Baldwin said in a statement in response to the judges’ decision.
“It has not always been easy, but the hard work is worthwhile for the people we serve. I look forward to getting back to work with Senator Johnson and the bipartisan nominating commission to put forward experienced U.S. Attorney candidates for the open positions,” Baldwin said.
Schimel ran for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in spring 2025, losing to liberal candidate Susan Crawford by 10 percentage points. President Donald Trump backed Schimel in the race.
In an interview in early March, Schimel said he was surprised by Baldwin’s continued opposition and, at the time, was hopeful the judges would vote for him to be permanent U.S. attorney.
“This is a wonderful calling,” Schimel said. “I’m blessed to be here. I hope it’s going to continue.”
Schimel was not available for comment following the judges’ decision.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Milwaukee has been in the spotlight as it won a guilty verdict in a high-profile case against former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan. A jury found Dugan guilty of obstructing federal immigration agents seeking to arrest an undocumented immigrant.
Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson says he’ll work with Baldwin to reopen US attorney talks
Reporting by Jessie Opoien, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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