Michael J. Brennan (Wisconsin)
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Michael J. Brennan is a former member of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB), a governmental agency of Wisconsin administering elections and ethics laws in Wisconsin. His term expired May 1, 2014.[1]
Professional career
Brennan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1964. Gov. Patrick Lucey appointed him as a nonpartisan County/Circuit Court Judge in Clark County. Brennan subsequently ran for an elected position and served on the Clark County Circuit Court from 1971 through 1999. After retiring, he served as a reserve judge. He was a member of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) from 2008 through 2014.[2][3]
Government Accountability Board
- See also: Government Accountability Board
Brennan was appointed to the board by Governor Jim Doyle (D) in 2007 and was confirmed to the Board on a vote by the Wisconsin State Senate.[4] His term ended in 2014.[1]
John Doe investigations
Two John Doe investigations, beginning in 2010 and ending in 2015, were launched by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm (D) into the activities of staff and associates of Gov. Scott Walker (R).[5] In October 2015, state Rep. Dean Knudson (R) introduced a reform plan that "would split the GAB into two separate commissions, one regulating ethics laws and the other covering elections. It would be similar to the system the GAB replaced in 2007." According to an article by Wisconsin Public Radio, "[ma]ny conservatives have cited the GAB’s involvement in the John Doe as the primary reason the agency should be eliminated. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said it was a factor."[6]
External links
- Members of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
- Past Members of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
- Judge Brennan's Biography at GassWeberMullins
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Government Accountability Board, "Past Members of the Government Accountability Board, accessed February 24, 2015
- ↑ GAB, "Past Members," accessed May 9, 2016
- ↑ GAB, "Judge Michael Brennan," accessed May 11, 2016
- ↑ "Wisconsin Legislative Spotlight" Michael Brennan Confirmed to Government Accountability Board, July 30, 2007
- ↑ United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Milwaukee Division, "Eric O’Keefe, and Wisconsin Club for Growth, Inc.," accessed February 23, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Public Radio, "GAB Chair Blasts Conservatives On Wisconsin Supreme Court," October 7, 2015
