J.B. Van Hollen
J.B. Van Hollen (born February 19, 1966, in Delta, Wisconsin) is the former Attorney General of Wisconsin. A Republican, Van Hollen was sworn into office on January 2, 2007, succeeding Democratic incumbent Peg Lautenschlager.[1]
Van Hollen was re-elected to a second term as attorney general on November 2, 2010. Though he was eligible to run for re-election in 2014, he announced that he would not seek a third term.[2][3]
An early priority of his time in office was prioritizing forensic DNA analysis at the State Crime Lab. His official bio stated that his tenure was guided by "A philosophy of first principles, limited government, and the Department's role as an 'exist to assist' state agency."[4]
Van Hollen was elected President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) in June 2013.[5][6]
In January 2016, it was reported that Hollen had registered as a lobbyist for Facebook.[7]
Biography
One year after receiving his law degree from Wisconsin Law School in 1990, Van Hollen took up the job of Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. He was later appointed by Governor Tommy Thompson as Ashland County District Attorney in 1993, serving in the position for six years. Governor Thompson called upon Van Hollen once more to serve the public, designating him the Bayfield County District Attorney. In 2002, he became the United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
Education
- Bachelor's degree, St. Olaf College (1988) in political science and economics
- Juris Doctorate degree, University of Wisconsin Law School (1990)
Political career
Wisconsin Attorney General (2007-2015)
Val Hollen was re-elected as Wisconsin's top law enforcement official in 2010. On July 3, 2012, the state Justice Department announced that Van Hollen was elected President of the National Association of Attorneys General, and took office in June 2013. The NAAG was created "to assist state attorneys general and improve interaction and coordination in handling state and federal issues." Prior to his election, he served as Vice President of the Association. “It’s a tremendous honor to be elected by my fellow Attorneys General to serve in this capacity, and it’s a responsibility I take very seriously,” Van Hollen said in a press statement following the announcement.[8]
In his first term, Van Hollen expanded the state's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Affiliates from 23 partner agencies to over one hundred. Affiliates in the program "receive financial grants and equipment along with specialized training as a part of this cooperative approach to investigating and prosecuting child predators."[9]
Noteworthy events
Great Lakes
Faced with the threat of an invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes, an event that would have far-reaching consequences for the ecosystem, Van Hollen, in conjunction with state attorneys general from both Minnesota and Ohio, filed a response supporting the State of Michigan's Motion for Preliminary Injunction with the United States Supreme Court.[10] Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox sued the State of Illinois, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in late-December 2009 seeking the closure of the O'Brien Lock and Dam and the Chicago Controlling Works. He also demanded that Illinois take action to permanently separate the waterways from the Great Lakes in the future and conduct an investigative study in order to determine how best to eradicate the carp from the waterways.[11]
Opposition to the Affordable Care Act
On December 6, 2010, Attorney General Van Hollen told the Associated Press that he was beginning work on challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[12] He later joined what would become a coalition of 26 state attorneys general in a lawsuit against the federal government over the law. On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold the individual mandate in the form of a tax, but struck down the requirement for state Medicaid expansion.[13]
Campaign finance
Attorney General Van Hollen issued a formal opinion on August 9, 2010, that disclosed how Wisconsin's campaign finance laws were affected by the Citizens United ruling. Van Hollen stated that Wisconsin's ban on corporate independent expenditures was unconstitutional as a result of the ruling. However, the ban on corporations directly contributing to candidates was still in effect. Political communications involving issue advocacy was also mentioned in the opinion. The Attorney General stated that communications involving issue advocacy were not excluded under the First Amendment. The legislature could regulate issue advocacy according to the opinion, but Van Hollen warned that there were many unanswered questions if new laws regulating such advocacy could be constitutional. The Attorney General cautioned the legislature to not disregard the First Amendment when drawing up legislation to regulate issue advocacy.[14]
Open carry
In response to questions directed toward his office from district attorneys and police officials from across the state concerning whether the act of wearing a handgun in a visible holster amounted to a violation of the disorderly conduct statute, Van Hollen issued an advisory brief in April 2009 stating that it was within federal legal boundaries to do so. Quoting Federal Justice Department precedent, the Wisconsin Attorney General argued that "mere open carry of a firearm, absent additional facts and circumstances, should not result in a disorderly conduct charge."[15] He did warn, however, this does not immune an individual from questioning by police, which Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn, in responding to the opinion, advised his officers to do.
Elections
2014
Van Hollen was eligible to run for re-election as Wisconsin Attorney General in 2014, but did not seek another term.Wis Politics, AG Van Hollen: Van Hollen will not seek re-election, October 7, 2013
2010
- 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election
- Van Hollen defeated Democrat Scott Hassett in the general election contest by a margin of over 15 percentage points.
| Attorney General of Wisconsin, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  J.B. Van Hollen Incumbent |
57.8% | 1,220,791 | |
| Democratic | Scott Hassett | 42.1% | 890,080 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,614 | |
| Total Votes | 2,112,485 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board | ||||
- 2010 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary
- J.B. Van Hollen ran unopposed in this contest
| 2010 Race for Attorney General - General ElectionWisconsin Government Accountability Board - 2010 General Election Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party |  J.B. Van Hollen
|
57.8% | |
| Democratic Party | Scott Hassett | 42.2% | |
| Total Votes | 2,112,390 | ||
2006
On November 7, 2006, J.B. Van Hollen won election to the office of Attorney General of Wisconsin. He defeated Kathleen Falk (D) in the general election.
| Attorney General of Wisconsin, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | J.B. Van Hollen |
50.2% | 1,065,453 | |
| Democratic | Kathleen Falk | 49.7% | 1,056,594 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 2,420 | |
| Total Votes | 2,124,467 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. | ||||
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - Republican PrimaryWisconsin Government Accountability Board - 2006 Republican Primary Election Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | J.B. Van Hollen
|
59.4% | |
| Republican Party | Paul Bucher | 40.6% | |
| Total Votes | 250,514 | ||
Campaign contributions
The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
| J.B. Van Hollen campaign contribution history | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | Wisconsin Attorney General |  |
$257,608 | |
| 2010 | Wisconsin Attorney General |  |
$850,245 | |
| 2008 | Wisconsin Attorney General | |
$329,595 | |
| 2006 | Wisconsin Attorney General | |
$1,720,703 | |
| Grand total raised | $3,158,151 | |||
| Source: [Follow the Money, " Career fundraising for J.B. Van Hollen," accessed May 6, 2013 Follow the Money] | ||||
2006-2010
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. See the table below for more information about the campaign donors who supported J.B. Van Hollen.[16] Click [show] for more information.
| J.B. Van Hollen Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 Attorney General of Wisconsin | 2010 Attorney General of Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total raised | $1,720,703 | $850,245 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total raised by opponents | $1,489,199 (Dem) | $362,831 (Dem) | |||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | J.B. Van Hollen | $705,000 | Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors | $15,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin Builders Association | $21,560 | Wisconsin Realtors Association | $11,750 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin Realtors Association | $21,500 | Wal-Mart | $10,142 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wal-Mart | $21,500 | Tavern League of Wisconsin | $10,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin Republican Party | $21,000 | Republican State Leadership | $10,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $838,408 | $732,159 | |||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $134,312 | $114,786 | |||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $1,632,548 | $779,407 | |||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $84,480 | $70,839 | |||||||||||||||||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "J.B. + Van + Hollen + Wisconsin + Attorney"
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Van Hollen currently resides in Waunakee, Wisconsin with his wife, Lynne, and their two children - Byron and Madelyn.
In 2010, he received the Openness Award from Wisconsin Freedom of Information CouncilGreen Bay Press Gazette, "Green Bay Press-Gazette, attorney general J.B. Van Hollen win Openness Award from Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council" 11 March, 2010
Van Hollen is a member of a number of organizations, including Ducks Unlimited, Grouse Unlimited, National Rifle Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Wisconsin Sporting Heritage, Incorporated.
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Wisconsin Department of Justice P.O. Box 7857 Madison, WI 53707-7857
Phone: (608) 266-1221 Fax: (608) 267-2779
See also
- Attorney General of Wisconsin
- Governor of Wisconsin
- Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Secretary of State
External links
- Official Wisconsin Attorney General website
- J.B. Van Hollen for AG Campaign website
- J.B. Van Hollen's Twitter account
- Project Vote Smart - J.B. Van Hollen biography
- Van Hollen on LinkedIn
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006
Footnotes
- ↑ Van Hollen for AG, "About," accessed April 11, 2013
- ↑ FOX 6, "Wisconsin AG expects to run again in 2014," December 18, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwis - ↑ Wisconsin Department of Justice, "Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen," accessed April 11, 2013
- ↑ National Association of Attorneys General, "J.B. Van Hollen (R)," accessed April 11, 2013
- ↑ National Association of Attorneys General, "Wisconsin Attorney General Becomes NAAG President," June 20, 2013
- ↑ Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, "Facebook hires former attorney general as Wisconsin lobbyist," January 26, 2016
- ↑ Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin's J.B. Van Hollen elected president-elect of National Association of Attorneys General," July 4, 2012
- ↑ Wispolitics, "AG Van Hollen: Internet Crimes Against Children Affiliates pass 100" 7 Dec. 2009
- ↑ Democratic Underground, "AG Van Hollen: Seeks to stop Asian carp invasion of Lake Michigan" 30 Dec. 2009
- ↑ MLive, "Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox sues Chicago, Illinois, Corps of Engineers for Asian 'carp-infested waters'" 21 Dec. 2009
- ↑ The Post-Crescent, "Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to sue over health care reform," December 6, 2010
- ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "Van Hollen says Walker must comply with health care law," June 28, 2012
- ↑ Office of Attorney General JB Van Hollen, "Van Hollen Issues Formal Opinion on Direct Impact of Citizens United on Wisconsin Campaign Financing Laws" 9 Aug. 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Open carrying of firearms legal, Van Hollen says" 20 April, 2009
- ↑ Follow the Money.org, "Home," accessed May 7, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peg Lautenschlager (D) |
Wisconsin Attorney General 2007-2015 |
Succeeded by Brad Schimel (R) |
