J.B. Van Hollen
From Ballotpedia
| J.B. Van Hollen | ||
 | ||
| Attorney General of Wisconsin | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 1, 2007 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| 2014 | ||
| Years in position | 5 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | St. Olaf College (1988) | |
| J.D. | University of Wisconsin Law School (1990) | |
| Personal | ||
| Place of birth | Delta, WI | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
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.
Van Hollen serves in several roles outside his professional duties, including:
- Member, Ducks Unlimited
- Member, Grouse Unlimited
- Member, National Rifle Association
- Member, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
- Member, Wisconsin Sporting Heritage, Incorporated
Education
- Bachelor's degree, St. Olaf College (1988) in political science and economics
- Juris Doctorate degree, University of Wisconsin Law School (1990)
Political career
Attorney General (2006-present)
In spite of his relatively brief tenure as Wisconsin Attorney General, Van Hollen has made significant strides in a number of key areas. The state's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Affiliates has grown by leaps and bounds since taking office. Prior to Van Hollen being sworn into office in January 2007, the Wisconsin Department of Justice had only recruited twenty-three partners. Following his election, the number of agencies enlisted exceeded 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." [2]
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. [3] 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 is also demanding 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. [4]
Issues
Healthcare reform
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 are 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. [5]
Open carry
In response to questions directed toward his office from district attorneys and police officials from across the state concerning whether the mere 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 with 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." [6] 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.
Controversies
Ken Kratz
In September 2010, the Associated Press revealed that Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz, a Republican who, two years earlier, had attempted a run for Congress, sent Stephanie Van Groll, whose boyfriend he was prosecuting for attempting to strangle her to death, thirty sex-ladened text messages in three days nearly a year earlier. [7] Ms. Groll had gone to the Kaukauna Police Department on October 22, 2009 fearing that his interest in her would affect his prosecution of her ex-boyfriend. Shortly after reported the incident, the Kaukauna PD handed the matter over to the State Division of Criminal Investigation who began an inquiry on October 27, before promptly closing it several days later after it had been determined that there "weren’t any facts that indicated any crimes were committed." [8]
While no charges were filed, Van Hollen's Office did pressure Kratz to report the incident to the State Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR). The State Supreme Court requires a lawyer to file such a report if they know of another lawyer who has committed professional misconduct; this misconduct, however, must raise a substantial question as to that lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer. It was not until December 4, 2009 that Kratz finally reported the text messages to the OLR. It was also around this time that the Calumet D.A. resigned from his position as Chair of the State Crime Victims Rights Board. However, three months later, the OLR decided not to conduct a formal investigation of Kratz; they believed that the texts, while inappropriate, did not represent professional misconduct on the D.A.'s part.
Following the release of the story, outgoing Democratic Governor Jim Doyle announced that he was beginning the process of removing Kratz from office; two weeks later, however, Kratz, who had placed himself on medical leave, chose to resign as Calumet County District Attorney. [9] [10]
Scott Hassett, the Democratic nominee challenging Van Hollen in his bid for re-election, has used this as an issue against the State Attorney General late in the campaign. In an email sent to supporters on September 21, 2010, Hassett accused Van Hollen of knowing about the district attorney sexting case nearly a year ago, but refusing to do anything about it. Since that email, however, Hassett has become more reserved, arguing that Van Hollen did not do anything "substantive" to deal with the problem. At their first debate at the Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee on October 7, 2010, Van Hollen contended, however, that he forced Kratz to resign from the State Crime Victims Rights Board, made Kratz turn himself in to the Office of Lawyer Regulation, and to force the District Attorney to relinquish his authority to prosecute domestic violence cases in Calumet County over to the Attorney General. If anyone is to blame, he said, it would be the Office of Lawyer Regulation who failed to do its duty to take any disciplinary action on District Attorney Kratz.
Elections
2010
- 2010 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary
- J.B. Van Hollen ran unopposed in this contest
| 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election [11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party |  a J.B. Van Hollen
| 57.8% | |
| Democratic Party | Scott Hassett | 42.2% | |
| Total Votes | 2,112,390 | ||
2006
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary [12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | a J.B. Van Hollen
| 59.4% | |
| Republican Party | Paul Bucher | 40.6% | |
| Total Votes | 250,514 | ||
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election [13] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | a J.B. Van Hollen
| 50.2% | |
| Democratic Party | Kathleen Falk | 49.7% | |
| Write-In | 0.1% | ||
| Total Votes | 2,124,467 | ||
Campaign contributions
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of J.B. Van Hollen's donors each year.[14] Click [show] for more information.
| J.B. Van Hollen's Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 Attorney General of Wisconsin | 2010 Attorney General of Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised | $1,720,703 | $850,245 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $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 | |||||||||||||||||
Personal
Van Hollen currently resides in Waunakee, Wisconsin with his wife, Lynne, and their two children - Byron and Madelyn.
Awards
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 Facebook profile
- J.B. Van Hollen's Twitter account
- Project Vote Smart - J.B. Van Hollen biography
References
- ↑ GMToday "Wis. GOP delegate files complaint over call" 28 April, 2010
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Michigan Live "Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox sues Chicago, Illinois, Corps of Engineers for Asian 'carp-infested waters'" 21 Dec. 2009
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Open carrying of firearms legal, Van Hollen says" 20 April, 2009
- ↑ City Pages "Kenneth Kratz sexts victim while prosecuting her boyfriend" 15 Sept. 2010
- ↑ Politifact "Challenger Scott Hassett says Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen knew about district attorney sexting case but did nothing about it" 4 Oct. 2010
- ↑ Green Bay Press Gazette "Gov. Jim Doyle will begin review of Calumet County DA Ken Kratz" 20 Sept. 2010
- ↑ CBS News "Ken Kratz, "Sexting Prosecutor," Resigns; Tried to Start Affair with Domestic Abuse Client" 4 Oct. 2010
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board - 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board - 2006 Republican Primary Election Results
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board - 2006 General Election Results
- ↑ Follow the Money.org
- ↑ Green 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
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Peg Lautenschlager | Wisconsin Attorney General 2006–present | Succeeded by NA |
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