Jones was appointed to the Branch 1 seat by Gov. Tony Evers last year after Susan Crawford was elected to the state Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment by Evers, he spent almost a decade as an attorney with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction under three state superintendents, including Evers.
For about six of those years at the Department of Public Instruction, Jones served as chief legal counsel, overseeing the Office of Legal Services. He previously worked in private practice representing primarily school districts and municipalities.
In a statement Wednesday, Ahsan said the campaign for Dane County Circuit Court taught her “profound and lasting lessons.”
“Efforts were made behind the scenes to influence endorsements, to pressure local leaders and to shape the outcome in favor of a preferred candidate,” she said. “These actions raise important questions about who truly holds power and whose voices are heard within our political system.”
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Then in 2017, he joined the Department of Public Instruction where he worked on operations, employment, educator misconduct and constitutional questions, he said.
One of the first major cases he worked on and won for the department was arguing in front of the state Supreme Court that the state superintendent of public instruction has the power to select their own attorney in legal cases, Jones said.
Jones said he and his department developed a legal strategy to defend diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Wisconsin schools that work to make kids feel safe and welcome.
“One of the primary roles of DPI, and my role at DPI, was to protect kids. That’s first and foremost,” Jones said.
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