Madison, Wisconsin.. Federal judges in Milwaukee announced Tuesday that they have decided not to extend the appointment of interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimmel beyond next week.
Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Schimel in November to a 120-day term as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, which is headquartered in Milwaukee and covers the eastern third of the state. His term is scheduled to end on March 17.
Under federal law, federal district judges can extend the appointment of a temporary U.S. attorney until a permanent appointee takes office. But the Eastern District judges said their majority declined to extend Schimmel’s term and will wait for President Donald Trump and the U.S. Senate to nominate and confirm a full-time U.S. attorney.
“In doing so, the court does not intend to criticize or comment on the performance or qualifications of the interim United States Attorney or any of the attorneys in the United States Attorney’s Office,” the justices said in a statement posted on the Eastern District’s website. “To this office’s credit, in the court’s view, it has continued to represent the citizens of this district well.”
Schimmel declined to comment when reached by phone by The Associated Press.
Schimel, a Republican with a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, served as Waukesha County’s district attorney before winning election as Wisconsin state’s attorney general in 2014. He lost a bid for a second term to Democrat Josh Kaul in 2018. But he got back on his feet after that defeat, after outgoing Republican Gov. Scott Walker appointed him as a judge in Waukesha County.
Within weeks of being appointed interim US attorney in November, Schimel found himself overseeing the trial of Milwaukee District Court Judge Hannah Duggan, who was charged in April with helping an immigrant evade federal immigration officers who were trying to arrest him in a Milwaukee County courthouse.
Schimmel’s team eventually convinced the jury to find Duggan Guilty of obstruction In December. She faces up to five years in prison, although a sentencing date has not been set while her lawyers seek a new trial.