2022 WI 80

SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN

CASE NO.: 2022AP998-D

COMPLETE TITLE: In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings 

Against Brett R. Blomme, Attorney at Law:

Office of Lawyer Regulation,

 Complainant,

 v.

Brett R. Blomme,

 Respondent.

DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS AGAINST BLOMME

OPINION FILED: November 25, 2022 

SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 

ORAL ARGUMENT: 

SOURCE OF APPEAL:

COURT: 

COUNTY: 

JUDGE: 

JUSTICES:

Per Curiam. ZIEGLER, C.J., filed a concurring opinion, in which

REBECCA GRASSL BRADLEY, HAGEDORN, and KAROFSKY, JJ., joined. 

ROGGENSACK, J., filed a concurring opinion in which REBECCA 

GRASSL BRADLEY and KAROFSKY, JJ., joined. 

NOT PARTICIPATING:

 

ATTORNEYS:
2022 WI 80

NOTICE

This opinion is subject to further 

editing and modification. The final 

version will appear in the bound 

volume of the official reports. 

No. 2022AP998-D

STATE OF WISCONSIN : IN SUPREME COURT

In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings 

Against Brett R. Blomme, Attorney at Law:

Office of Lawyer Regulation,

 Complainant,

 v.

Brett R. Blomme,

 Respondent.

FILED

NOV 25, 2022

Sheila T. Reiff

Clerk of Supreme Court

ATTORNEY disciplinary proceeding. Attorney's license 

revoked. 

¶1 PER CURIAM. Attorney Brett R. Blomme has filed a 

petition for the consensual revocation of his license to 

practice law in Wisconsin pursuant to Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 

22.19. Attorney Blomme's petition states that he cannot 

successfully defend against an Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) 

investigation of professional misconduct related to his 

conviction, entered following a guilty plea, of two federal 

felonies; namely, two counts of distribution of child 

pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2). Attorney 
No. 2022AP998-D 

2

Blomme's petition attaches the OLR's summary of misconduct being 

investigated. The OLR's misconduct summary attaches a number of 

documents, including a copy of Attorney Blomme's federal 

sentencing transcript. 

¶2 Attorney Blomme was admitted to the practice of law in 

Wisconsin in 2010. He has not previously been the subject of 

professional discipline. However, his law license is currently 

administratively suspended for failure to pay state bar dues and 

failure to comply with trust account certification requirements. 

The OLR also sought and obtained a summary suspension of 

Attorney Blomme's law license in early 2022, as described in 

more detail below.

¶3 According to information obtained from the court's 

file of the proceedings in this matter, the CCAP and WSCCA 

websites,1 and the materials attached to the OLR's misconduct 

summary, in March 2021, the State filed a criminal complaint 

against Attorney Blomme alleging that he possessed child 

pornography during a time period in which he served as a judge 

in the Children's Division of Milwaukee County Circuit Court 

("Children's Court"). On the same day the State filed the 

criminal complaint, this court issued an order temporarily 

prohibiting Attorney Blomme from exercising the powers of a 

circuit court judge and temporarily withholding his judicial 

salary, effective the date of the order and until further order 

 

1 CCAP is an acronym for Wisconsin's Consolidated Court 

Automation Programs. WSCCA is an acronym for Wisconsin Supreme 

Court and Court of Appeals Access. These government websites 

reflect information entered by court staff.
No. 2022AP998-D 

3

of the court. See Wis. Const. art. VII, § 3(1) (conferring 

this court with superintending and administrative authority over 

all courts in the state).

¶4 In May 2021, Attorney Blomme was charged in federal

court with two counts of distributing child pornography. He 

later pled guilty to both counts. In December 2021, Attorney 

Blomme was convicted and sentenced in federal court to 108 

months in prison on each count, to be served concurrently, 

followed by 20 years of supervised release. According to CCAP 

records, shortly after Attorney Blomme's federal conviction and 

sentencing, the state charges against Attorney Blomme were 

dismissed. 

¶5 In January 2022, the OLR moved under SCR 22.20 for a 

summary suspension of Attorney Blomme's Wisconsin law license 

based on his federal conviction. On February 16, 2022, this 

court granted the motion and suspended Attorney Blomme's law 

license until further order of the court. In May 2022, this 

court found good cause to continue this summary suspension. See

SCR 22.20(6) (providing that, within two months of the effective 

date of a summary suspension, the OLR is required to either file 

a disciplinary complaint or show cause why the summary 

suspension should continue). Attorney Blomme's law license 

remains suspended.

¶6 According to the OLR's misconduct summary, the OLR has 

concluded that Attorney Blomme's conduct leading to his federal 

conviction for distributing child pornography violated 

SCR 20:8.4(b). See id. (providing that "[i]t is professional 
No. 2022AP998-D 

4

misconduct for a lawyer to commit a criminal act that reflects 

adversely on the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as 

a lawyer in other respects"). 

¶7 In his petition for consensual revocation, Attorney 

Blomme asserts that he is seeking the consensual revocation of 

his license freely, voluntarily, and knowingly. He states that 

he cannot successfully defend himself against the allegations of 

misconduct set forth above and more fully described in the OLR's 

summary. He understands that he is giving up his right to 

contest the allegations referenced in the OLR's misconduct 

summary. He acknowledges that if the court grants the petition 

and revokes his license, he will be subject to the requirements 

of SCR 22.26 and, should he ever wish to seek the reinstatement 

of his license, the reinstatement procedure set forth in SCRs 

22.29-22.33. He acknowledges that he is represented by counsel 

in this disciplinary matter.

¶8 The OLR has filed a recommendation on Attorney 

Blomme's petition for consensual license revocation. The OLR 

notes that Attorney Blomme was serving as a Milwaukee County 

Children's Court judge at the time of the misconduct; that his 

crimes were "extraordinarily serious, by their nature and by 

virtue of the position Blomme held"; and that "his misconduct 

brought tremendous disrepute to the legal profession and the 

courts." The OLR states that revocation is warranted and 

necessary.

¶9 Having reviewed Attorney Blomme's petition for 

consensual revocation, the OLR's misconduct summary, and the 
No. 2022AP998-D 

5

OLR's recommendation on Attorney Blomme's petition, we accept 

Attorney Blomme's petition for the consensual revocation of his 

Wisconsin law license. We note that, according to the federal 

sentencing transcript attached to the OLR's misconduct summary, 

the sentencing judge described some of the child pornography 

involved in Attorney Blomme's case as "the worst of the worst." 

The judge also noted that Attorney Blomme's wrongdoing "wasn't 

just the possession" but also "the selection and distribution of 

particularly virulent child pornography." The judge also voiced 

concern that Attorney Blomme "committed [his] crimes in part at 

the courthouse" where he was responsible for cases involving 

children who had been abused. The judge described Attorney 

Blomme's behavior as "a huge stain on the reputation of the 

judiciary."

¶10 This is clearly the type of criminal conduct that "is 

so revealing of character defects, and so undermines public 

confidence in the legal profession, that it necessarily reflects 

adversely on an attorney's fitness as a lawyer." See In re 

Disciplinary Proceedings Against Johns, 2014 WI 32, ¶38, 353 

Wis. 2d 746, 847 N.W.2d 179, citing In re Disciplinary 

Proceedings Against Inglimo, 2007 WI 126, ¶51, 305 Wis. 2d 71, 

740 N.W.2d 125 (attorney's illegal drug use with clients showed 

"a disregard for the law" that "reflect[ed] adversely not only 

on the lawyer's fitness, but on the profession as a whole"). 

The seriousness of Attorney Blomme's criminal conduct in 

distributing child pornography is magnified by the fact that it 

occurred during a time in which he served as a circuit court 
No. 2022AP998-D 

6

judge——a Children's Court judge, no less. Public trust in our 

court system depends upon public trust in the integrity of its 

judges. Attorney Blomme's blatant disregard for the law during 

the time he sat on the judicial bench jeopardizes public 

confidence in the courts and reflects adversely on the entire 

bar. See In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Penn, 201 

Wis. 2d 405, 406, 548 N.W.2d 526 (1996) (noting that the 

seriousness of a district attorney's illegal drug use was 

"exacerbated by the fact that it occurred in the context of his 

official position as district attorney, a position of public 

trust in the legal system to which the people of his county 

elected him," and thereby "caused significant and unjustified 

damage to the public's perception of the integrity of law 

enforcement personnel throughout the county.") 

¶11 Given the egregious nature of Attorney Blomme's 

misconduct, anything less than a revocation of his law license 

would unduly depreciate the seriousness of his misconduct, fail 

to protect the public and the court system from further 

misconduct, and inadequately deter similar misbehavior by other 

attorneys. Revocation is clearly deserved.2

¶12 Because this matter is being resolved via a petition 

for consensual revocation without the need to appoint a referee 

or hold an extensive hearing, we do not impose costs on Attorney 

Blomme. No restitution was sought and none is ordered.

 

2 Although three justices join the concurrence authored by 

Chief Justice Ziegler, that fact does not effect a change to our 

current rule governing license revocation. See SCR 22.29(2).
No. 2022AP998-D 

7

¶13 IT IS ORDERED that the petition for consensual license 

revocation is granted.

¶14 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the license of Brett R. 

Blomme to practice law in Wisconsin is revoked, effective the 

date of this order.

¶15 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, to the extent he has not 

already done so, Brett R. Blomme shall comply with the 

provisions of SCR 22.26 concerning the duties of a person whose 

license to practice law in Wisconsin has been revoked.

¶16 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the administrative 

suspension of Brett R. Blomme's license to practice law in 

Wisconsin, due to his failure to pay state bar dues and failure 

to comply with trust account certification requirements, will 

remain in effect until each reason for the administrative 

suspension has been rectified pursuant to SCR 22.28(1).
No. 2022AP998-D.akz

1

¶17 ANNETTE KINGSLAND ZIEGLER, C.J. (concurring). I 

concur in the court's order revoking Attorney Blomme's license 

to practice law in Wisconsin. I write separately to point out 

that in Wisconsin the "revocation" of an attorney's law license 

is not truly revocation because the attorney may petition for 

reinstatement after a period of five years. See SCR 22.29(2). 

The facts of this case demonstrate the kind of lawyer conduct 

that warrants revocation, with no ability to seek reinstatement.

I believe that when it comes to lawyer discipline, courts should 

say what they mean and mean what they say. We should not be 

creating false perceptions to both the public and to the lawyer 

seeking to practice law again. See In re Disciplinary 

Proceedings Against Moodie, 2020 WI 39, 391 Wis. 2d 196, 942 

N.W.2d 302 (Ziegler, J., dissenting). And, as I stated in my 

dissent to this court's order denying Rule Petition 19-10, In 

the Matter of Amending Supreme Court Rules Pertaining to 

Permanent Revocation of a License to Practice Law in Attorney 

Disciplinary Proceedings, I believe there may be rare and 

unusual cases that would warrant the permanent revocation of an 

attorney's license to practice law. See S. Ct. Order 19-10 

(issued Dec. 18, 2019) (Ziegler, J., dissenting).

¶18 For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully concur.

¶19 I am authorized to state that Justices REBECCA GRASSL 

BRADLEY, BRIAN HAGEDORN, and JILL J. KAROFSKY join this 

concurrence. 
No. 2022AP998-D.pdr

1

¶20 PATIENCE DRAKE ROGGENSACK, J. (concurring). I agree 

with the court's decision today to revoke the law license of 

Brett R. Blomme. I write separately to address my concern over 

the lack of action taken by the Judicial Commission. 

¶21 In our decision today, the court notes in closing what 

we do and do not decide. Attorney Blomme is before us only as a 

member of the bar, not as a judicial officer who presided in 

children's court. He committed criminal misconduct involving 

child pornography while he held judicial office, and acted, in 

part, from within the courthouse itself. Although today we 

revoke Attorney Blomme's law license, it causes me to pause and 

consider the lack of action by the Judicial Commission. 

¶22 Blomme was arrested on March 16, 2021, and did not 

formally resign his seat on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court 

until much later, on September 1, 2021. In all that time, the 

Judicial Commission took no public action. 

¶23 Over 600 days have passed since Blomme was arrested at 

his residence and taken into custody on March 16, 2021. Blomme 

was formally charged in Dane County Circuit Court with seven 

felony counts of possession of child pornography on March 17, 

2021 (Dane County Case No. 2021CF647). Blomme made his initial 

appearance in Dane County Circuit Court on March 17, when he was 

released on signature bond.

¶24 Also on March 17, 2021, this court took immediate 

action and issued an order "temporarily prohibit[ing]" Blomme 

from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the State 

of Wisconsin and temporarily withholding his judicial salary 
No. 2022AP998-D.pdr

2

"effective [March 17, 2021] and until further order of the 

court." The Judicial Commission took no public action.

¶25 About two months later, on May 12, 2021, Blomme was 

indicted on federal charges. The federal indictment set out two 

felony child pornography distribution charges. See United 

States v. Blomme, No. 21-cr-49-jdp (W.D. Wis.). He was 

arraigned in federal court on May 19, 2021, and was ordered to 

be detained and taken into federal custody. Still, the Judicial 

Commission took no public action.

¶26 Nearly four months after the federal indictment, and 

nearly six months after the state charges were filed in Dane 

County Circuit Court, on September 1, 2021, Blomme formally 

resigned his seat on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Later 

that month, on September 28, 2021, Blomme (while still in 

federal custody) entered guilty pleas to two counts of felony 

child pornography distribution in the United States District 

Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. On December 22, 

2021, Blomme was sentenced to 108 months in prison on each 

count, to be served concurrently, followed by 20 years of 

supervised release. 

¶27 Under Blomme's plea agreement, the Dane County case 

was dismissed after he was sentenced in federal court. The 

Judicial Commission took no action. 

¶28 As stated earlier, it appears over 600 days have 

passed from the date Blomme was arrested in March of 2021. 

Notably, no public action was ever taken by the Judicial 
No. 2022AP998-D.pdr

3

Commission. The Judicial Commission protects the public. I am 

concerned by their inaction.

¶29 I am authorized to state that Justices REBECCA GRASSL 

BRADLEY and JILL J. KAROFSKY join this concurrence.
No. 2022AP998-D.pdr

1