commissioner was suspended five days for disciplinary reasons, according to Chief Judge J. Mac Davis.
The commissioner, Linda Georgeson, who was first appointed in 1991, also took medical leave after her suspension, so her powers are being suspended until she returns, probably in about five weeks, Davis said after being contacted by Patch about the incident.
Davis declined to say why he suspended Georgeson last week. Patch attempted to reach Georgeson, but no voicemail was set up at a number listed to her.
"It did not involve any misconduct or inappropriate behavior on the bench or with a case," Davis said.
Retired Court Commissioner Martin Binn has agreed to handle some of her calendar.
The suspension was also not connected to a complaint that was filed by a Wauwatosa woman who alleged misconduct by Georgeson before the Wisconsin Judicial Commission. Davis said he was unaware of that complaint. The commission took undisclosed action on the case, but did not forward it to the Supreme Court for further action.
The woman, Jill Ferguson, was ordered by Georgeson to stop writing online postings about Ferguson’s divorce proceedings. Ferguson now faces misdemeanor charges after it was alleged she created a website www.lindageorgeson.com, in addition to other websites about other individuals involved in the divorce proceedings. Individuals that were targeted by the websites reported in the complaint that they felt threatened by the postings.
Ferguson felt that the First Amendment trumped a restraining order that prohibited her from posting on the websites, the complaint states.
“It was a flagrant abuse of power,” Ferguson said. “She told me to sit down and shut up and that she didn’t want to hear my garble about First Amendment rights. It was very verbally abusive. She had me handcuffed, arrested and jailed at the court thing.”
Ferguson received a letter dated June 14 from the Wisconsin Judicial Commission about her complaint.
“At its recent meeting, the Commission voted to take action short of filing a complaint with the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” the letter states.
Ferguson’s complaint is now closed and the proceedings by the Judicial Commission remains confidential.
