Former Judge Douglas Stern of Waukesha, WI; ethical troll

The state of Wisconsin presented Douglas R. Stern with a law license in 1978 after he graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Law.

The Wisconsin Judicial Commission found Denny guilty of engaging in the following misconduct, all of which took place while he was sitting as a Winnebago County Circuit Court judge.

• Willfully and illegally held two offices of public trust at the same time
• Doug was an elected Municipal Court Judge and a School Board Member
• Doug's violation of the Code of Judicial Ethics was open and notorious, as the issue of his eligibility to hold both offices was a matter of public knowledge raised and discussed during the election
• Despite being made aware of the clear, unambiguous prohibition of his holding two offices of public trust simultaneously, Doug chose to take both offices and continued to occupy them without having obtained an authoritative affirmation of his good faith legal argument that the rule did not apply to him
• Failed to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety
• Failed to act in manner promoting public confidence in the judiciary

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Wisconsin Supreme Court punished Doug by gifting him with a complimentary reprimand.

It should also be noted that the Wisconsin Court System attorney search website conceals Doug’s misconduct by falsely stating: “Discipline History: There is currently no public disciplinary history for this attorney.”

Apparently, concealing from public searches on its website, the Wisconsin Court System has determined that it will not disclose misconduct meted out to Wisconsin Judges. On the other hand, the same courtesy is not afforded to attorneys disciplined for engaging in misconduct.

As we speak (ca. July 2023), Doug practices his so-called brand of law with DSternLaw LLC at 520 North Grand Ave in Waukesha, Wisconsin.