Michael Rust (Winnebago County Circuit Court, Wisconsin, candidate 2024)
Michael Rust (Nonpartisan) ran for election to Winnebago County Circuit Court in Wisconsin.[1]
Elections
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michael Rust completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rust's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Michael Rust is Circuit Court Commissioner for Winnebago County, holding trials and hearings on restraining orders, small claims, divorce, paternity, and guardianship cases. Prior to taking the bench, Michael was CEO of the Resolution Center, Inc., the organization that runs the Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center and Fond du Lac Conflict Resolution Center. In his role as CEO, Michael oversaw 50 mediators, performing over 500 mediations annually, as well as serving as a neutral in over 2,000 disputes. He served as a neutral for the Wisconsin Special Education Mediation System, as well as serving as one of three co-equal partners of the organization. Michael received the 2022 Lifetime Legal Innovation Award from the State Bar of Wisconsin and the 2020 Beacon Award from the Carthage College Alumni Association. At Carthage, Michael received undergraduate degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology before going to Marquette University Law School. Michael is a proud father of three great kids and enjoys coaching their sports teams, attending their musical events, and experiencing different parts of the U.S. through travel. He is very active in the community, having previously served as President of the Board of the Oshkosh Area United Way and Rotary Club of Oshkosh.
- Neutrality - Fair judges are essential to American society. Judges should not have their thumb on the scales of justice to make their preferred outcome happen. They must apply the law, as it was written by the legislature and signed by the executive. Michael has more than 12 years of experience as a neutral, more than any other candidate. Several attorneys and parties who have appeared in front of Michael for trials have remarked about his fair and reasoned approach to the law, even when he is ruling against them. His experience as a neutral makes it possible for him to show parties that they have truly been heard, they have had their fair day in court, but the law is not on their side.
- Ethics - As judges are expected to uphold the law, it is vitally important that a judge's ethics are not called into question. Michael is a renowned expert and frequent speaker on the ethics of neutrals, including serving as international President of the Association for Conflict Resolution (one of three organizations that co-created the ethical rules for neutrals). Michael also serves on the Board of the Office of Lawyer Regulation in Wisconsin, the organization that investigates and prosecutes ethical violations by attorneys. Michael brings this history and understanding of the ethical principles to the bench in a way that benefits all attorneys and parties that come to court.
- Community - Michael does not believe that neutrality is the same as not caring. He is passionate about the Winnebago County community. He served as the Board President of the Oshkosh Area United Way, President of the Rotary Club of Oshkosh, and as Assistant District Governor for Rotary District 6270 (the collection of 58 Rotary Clubs in Wisconsin stretching from Neenah down to Kenosha). Michael is a Core Team Member of the Oshkosh Civility Project and Founder and Co-Producer of TEDxOshkosh. Michael has received community recognition for his work in community housing, as well as business, non-profit, and government collaboration projects. Michael can often be found as a youth sports coach, mentor, or volunteer in the community.
Public policy is more appropriate for legislative bodies, not the courts. Judges wear the standard, black robes to show solidarity - that it does not matter which judge you appear in front of, the judges are supposed to be all the same. Applying the law, as it was written, to the facts of the case. When judges make their personal passions a part of their judicial philosophy, we lose some of the integrity of the judiciary. The application of the law to the facts of the case should not include the personal passions of the judge. When the personal biases of the judge start weighing on the case, the neutrality of the judiciary suffers - which is a key tenet of American democracy.
Michael is proud to have many individuals endorsing his campaign, information will be posted on his website.
Trial courts do not make the law or policy. It is the role of the trial court to act as a neutral to apply the law to the facts of the individual case.
Sometimes called judicial minimalism or judicial restraint, this judicial philosophy is most respectful to the American system of government. It is the role of the legislature, not the judiciary, to make and change the laws.
Trial court judges should not be placing their "thumb on the scale" to make change in our community. Judges must be neutral and apply the law as it was written by the legislature and approved by the Governor or President.
Empathy is essential in providing the public with their day in court. However empathy cannot equate to bias. As a trained and experienced neutral, Michael is well versed in providing empathy without impacting the process.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2023.
