Just before the Independence Day weekend, Gov. Tony Evers snuck in the appointments of Jeremy Guza to Waukesha County Circuit Court Branch 3 and Michael Schindhelm to Branch 11.
Guza, a criminal defense and family law attorney who owns Guza Law Office LLC, previously worked as a veterans’ service representative for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Schindhelm, who grew up in Mukwonago and lives near Hartland, currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He previously worked as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County from 2012 to 2023, during District Attorney John Chisholm’s tenure, a period marked by progressive policies that emphasized rehabilitation over incarceration, as well as in Fond du Lac County and Queens County, New York.
Both appointments fill vacancies with terms ending in July 2027, placing the seats on the spring 2027 ballot.
Conservative candidates have already announced campaigns for the positions. Paul Dedinsky, a longtime prosecutor and former Milwaukee County circuit court judge appointed by Gov. Scott Walker, is running for Branch 3. Katherine Spitz, a Pewaukee-based litigator and former attorney with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, is running for Branch 11.
Waukesha County, a consistent Republican stronghold, has a strong track record of favoring conservative candidates over Evers’ judicial appointees.
With established conservative challengers who have strong public-safety records, Waukesha voters will again choose between Evers’ appointees and local candidates in the spring election..
