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U.S. Senator Ron Johnson has called for a Justice Department investigation into alleged judicial misconduct in a high-profile election fraud case involving former Trump attorney Jim Troupis in Wisconsin.
Johnson, a Republican, sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi requesting the DOJ review allegations that Dane County Judge John Hyland improperly received assistance writing a court order in Troupis’s case. The controversy centers on charges stemming from Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election.
Troupis, who previously served as a judge himself, claimed Hyland did not independently author an August order that refused to dismiss felony charges against him. Troupis alleged the order was written with help from retired Judge Frank Remington, whose son works as Hyland’s law clerk, suggesting a conflict of interest.
Judge Hyland firmly denied these allegations this week and refused to recuse himself from the case or cancel a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday. Hyland stated that he and his law clerk were the sole authors of the contested order.
“It is difficult to understand how Judge Hyland can make an impartial decision about Mr. Bugni’s allegations when he is directly implicated,” Johnson wrote in his letter, referring to allegations brought forward by Troupis’s attorney, Joe Bugni. Johnson characterized Troupis as a victim of “blatant political bias.”
The senator has longstanding ties to Troupis. In 2022, Johnson’s reelection campaign hired Troupis’s law firm for legal consulting and possible recount preparation.
Remington has publicly denied Troupis’s allegations, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday that he never discussed the case with his son or Judge Hyland, nor did he write or assist in writing any decisions in the matter. Remington expressed surprise at Troupis’s claim of animosity between them from their time serving together as judges in Dane County, where Troupis served from 2015 to 2016.
The underlying criminal case stems from Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul’s decision last year to file eleven felony charges against Troupis and two others – attorney Kenneth Chesebro and Trump’s 2020 director of Election Day operations, Mike Roman – for their alleged roles in a scheme to submit alternate electoral votes for Trump despite his loss in Wisconsin.
Prosecutors claim the three defendants defrauded ten Wisconsin Republican electors by misrepresenting how their signed certificates would be used. According to the charges, the defendants planned to submit documents to then-Vice President Mike Pence falsely claiming Trump had won Wisconsin, a key battleground state.
Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020 but won the state in both 2016 and 2024. The former president and his allies pursued multiple legal avenues to challenge the 2020 results.
The defendants have consistently maintained no crime occurred. Troupis issued a statement saying “it is long past time” for the Justice Department to “bring an end” to what he characterized as an “obvious political witch hunt.”
This Wisconsin case stands among diminishing legal actions related to the 2020 election challenges. A similar case in Michigan was dismissed in September, while prosecutors dropped a federal case alleging Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election last year. A Georgia election interference case was abandoned earlier last month, though a similar case remains active in Nevada.
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed receipt of Johnson’s request but declined further comment on the matter.
The controversy adds another layer of complexity to ongoing legal battles surrounding the 2020 election and raises questions about judicial impartiality in politically charged cases that continue to reverberate through the American legal system four years after the contested election.
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7 Comments
As a senator, Johnson is right to call for an investigation if he believes there are serious issues with how this case was handled. The DOJ should follow the facts wherever they lead.
Maintaining the independence and impartiality of the judiciary is essential for a well-functioning democracy. I hope the DOJ review can get to the bottom of these allegations.
The integrity of the judicial process is crucial, especially in high-stakes election cases. The DOJ should conduct a rigorous and impartial review to ensure justice is served and public trust is maintained.
Judicial misconduct allegations, if true, could undermine public confidence in the legal system. A thorough DOJ investigation is warranted to determine the facts and take appropriate action.
This seems like a complex case with potential judicial misconduct allegations. It will be important for the DOJ to thoroughly review the facts and evidence to determine if any improper influence occurred in this high-profile election-related matter.
Allegations of judicial conflicts of interest are always concerning. I hope the DOJ investigation can shed light on the circumstances around the court order and determine if there were any improper actions that impacted the case.
This is a complex and politically charged situation. The DOJ must approach the investigation objectively and avoid any perception of bias, to ensure a fair and credible outcome.