Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky has informed the state's Director of State Courts Randy Koschnick that he will be fired as soon as Justice-elect Janet Protasiewicz is sworn in Tuesday and liberals take control of the Court for the first time since 2008.
"The Dan O'Donnell Show" has learned exclusively that Koschnick, a veteran circuit court judge who began serving as Director of State Courts on August 1, 2017, will be removed from office exactly six years later.
The Director of State Courts is the chief nonjudicial officer of the Wisconsin Court System and is responsible for its administrative function. The director is hired by and serves at the discretion of the Supreme Court. Koschnick is an avowed conservative who unsuccessfully challenged the late Shirley Abrahamson for her seat on the court in 2009. The move to fire him appears to be politically motivated, as Koschnick has earned plaudits from liberal and conservative judges alike for his handling of the court system, especially during the COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020.
Before he was hired as Director of State Courts, Koschnick served for 18 years as a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge and was a public defender for 14 years prior to that.
On Tuesday, liberals will assume a 4-3 majority on the Supreme Court when Protasiewicz is sworn in. She defeated former Justice Daniel Kelly to win a seat on the court in April.