The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently stopped the government from forcing a private company to hire a serial domestic abuser who brutally raped, beat, and strangled his domestic partners. If Attorney General Josh Kaul had his way, a Wisconsin business would have had to hire this domestic abuser and put its employees at risk. His argument is a slap in the face to victims of domestic violence and shows just how unqualified he is for the job of serving as Wisconsin’s top cop.

The defendant in this case is a serial domestic abuser who raped, beat, and and strangled women on multiple occasions. On one occasion, he threw his partner on the bed so hard that she bounced off the bed and hit the floor. After this, he raped her. Another time, he squeezed her neck so hard she was unable to breathe, then beat her with a belt before again raping her. He was convicted of crimes involving the abuse of three other women.

Wisconsin law prohibits employers from not hiring based on a conviction unless the conviction “substantially relates” to the circumstances of the employment. The Wisconsin company in this case believed the defendant’s disturbing record substantially related to working unsupervised with women in a facility with secluded areas and also on location with customers.

The company chose not to hire him when it learned of his conviction record, and the defendant sued for discrimination. Josh Kaul stepped in to force this Wisconsin company to hire the defendant, even though the company believed that his hiring would put their employees and customers at risk.

Kaul argued that these horrific crimes and the unsupervised nature of the job weren’t enough for the company to refuse employment. He argued that the defendant’s crimes never happened in the workplace, they only happened in a “domestic context.” His argument completely ignores the social science surrounding how domestic violence often occurs before workplace violence, and worse, it simply doesn’t pass the common sense test.

If Kaul would have gotten his way, he would have created an impossible test for Wisconsin’s employers: get accused of discrimination or shirk their duties to protect their employees and customers. He’s too busy trying to make life more difficult for Wisconsin’s job creators than fighting rising violent crime. Kaul has proven that he’s incapable of protecting Wisconsinites as Attorney General. Instead, he caters to the far left while failing in his responsibilities to keep us safe.

In a Jarchow Department of Justice, we will never litigate against Wisconsin employers and try to force them to hire a domestic abuser. As Attorney General, I will work with law enforcement to fight violent crime and get government out of the way to allow Wisconsin businesses to thrive. Josh Kaul didn’t have to go out of his way to defend abusers in this case, but he did, and now we know where his priorities lie.

I’m glad the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected Kaul’s argument and protected Wisconsin workers and employers from his disastrous agenda-driven policies. It’s clear that his opinions are out of touch when even liberal Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky sided with the conservatives on the court to hand down this decision. Brian Hagedorn, however, sided with Josh Kaul to try to force this company to hire this domestic abuser in another inexplicable decision.

As your Attorney General, I will always fight to make Wisconsin a safer place to live, work, and raise a family. Josh Kaul would rather try to force a Wisconsin company to hire a serial domestic abuser and rapist than fight violent crime. His actions show exactly where his priorities lie. When I’m Attorney General, Wisconsin won’t have any trouble seeing my commitment to fight violent crime, stand with law enforcement, and make government work better for Wisconsin.

– Adam Jarchow is an attorney, small business owner, volunteer firefighter, and former member of the Wisconsin State Legislature. He resides in northwest Wisconsin with his wife and two children.

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