As a Candidate

In the Wisconsin State Journal article that broke the conflict story, Ziegler claimed through her campaign spokesman that she "followed Supreme Court rules in the West Bend Savings Bank cases..."  She was also quoted in that story saying that "everyone who enters my courtroom is treated in a fair manner." She said this despite the quotes of numerous defendants in the same story.

The day after the story Ziegler was forced to answer pointed questions about her conflicts and was quoted in the paper as saying that she relied on a "gut check" to determine if she had any conflicts in cases.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that, Ziegler, who owns more than $50,000 in stock in United Healthcare, “declined to answer questions about the United Healthcare cases, saying she would have to review them to determine whether she had a conflict of interest.”

While speaking in Hudson Ziegler tried to dismiss her critics calling their concern about her conflicts "big city thinking."

Ziegler lashed out at critics accusing them of using "dirty tricks" when the troubling information about her conflicts were made public.

During a debate Annette Ziegler was pointedly asked if she did not know the judicial rules on conflicts or did she simply choose to ignore them.  Totally avoiding the actual question Ziegler responded "neither." ("Ziegler, Clifford go 1 last round in high court fight" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 31, 2007)

In another debate, referring to her conflicts scandal, Annette Ziegler claimed "there is no scandal." ("Debate pulls no punches" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 21, 2007)

In a March 21 editorial in the Capital Times, Ziegler attacked those pointing out her conflicts.  She said that they have "resorted to false charges."  She further claimed that efforts to point out her conflicts were really efforts to "confuse voters by claiming I have a conflict of interest."  Ziegler then said that "they're simply not telling the truth."


When it was reported that the State Ethics Board filed charges against Ziegler, statements from Ziegler to investigators were also cited.  These comments were also made before the election and they said that  "Judge Ziegler stated, in essence, that she simply did not consider that her sitting on cases involving West Bend Savings Band was a conflict of interest," according to the Ethics Board investigators. "She stated that the bank is not how we make our living.'

As a Justice

On May 15, 2007 it was announced that Justice-elect Annette Ziegler had admitted to violating the state's conflict of interest laws.  She proceeded to pay a $17,000 fine.

When the Wisconsin Judicial Commission recommended a public reprimand for Ziegler, in a statement she apoligized for what she called an "unintentional error."  She further said that she "should have been more careful, and I have taken steps to make sure a similar mistake does not happen in the future."