BARABOO – A pair of arrests nearly 30 years ago provides insight into the views of one Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate on abortion and civil disobedience.

Michael Screnock was arrested and ticketed for trespassing and obstructing officers twice in 1989 when he participated in large protests at a Madison abortion clinic. He reached plea deals that dropped the obstructing citations and required him to perform community service for the trespassing charges, according to Screnock and public records.

“In the context of my life, it’s not something I’ve ever regretted doing,” Screnock said.

Screnock, 48, is a Sauk County judge who is seeking a 10-year term on the state Supreme Court in the spring election.

Also running are Madison attorney Tim Burns and Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet. Those two said they believed Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 decision that determined there is a constitutional right to abortion, was decided correctly.

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Screnock said he believed he could remain on cases dealing with abortion.

“There are issues that come in front of me every day that I have an emotional feeling about,” he said in an interview in an office across the street from the Sauk County courthouse.

“If I thought I couldn’t decide a case fairly and impartially based on the law and the facts, I would need to get out of the business.”

In April 1989, Screnock and dozens of other protesters calling themselves “rescue workers” blocked access to the Bread and Roses Women’s Medical Center in Madison, which has since closed. Like many of the others, Screnock at first refused to give his name and had to be booked as John Doe until he identified himself.

In June 1989, Screnock and dozens of others again prevented people from getting into the abortion clinic. He was one of 42 people who was arrested that day.

Screnock was a University of Wisconsin-Madison student at the time. He was 19 when he was arrested the first time and 20 when he was arrested the second time.

The officer who arrested Screnock and two others in June wrote in a report that the three would not go with police once told they were being arrested.

“It was necessary for us to physically pick each of them up off the ground and place them in the portable chair provided by the Fire Department,” the officer wrote, referring to a wheelchair that police used to ferry protesters to police vehicles.

Screnock did not initially identify himself and like most of the other protesters did not have identification with him. At the police station, he told officers who he was and they were able to confirm his identity with the photo from his previous arrest, records show.

In both cases, Screnock was ticketed for trespassing and obstructing officers. Court records showing how the cases were resolved no longer exist, but Screnock said the obstructing citations were dismissed and he performed community service for the trespassing citations under a plea agreement.

Screnock said he understood at the time that he would likely have to pay a price for participating in the protests.

“You had a group of people who were seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights and when confronted with a violation of the law — in this case an ordinance violation — were willing to take the consequences,” he said. “And I think that’s true of all individuals who seek to engage in any manner of civil disobedience.”

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Joanna Beilman-Dulin, research director for the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, questioned whether Screnock could remain impartial on abortion cases.

"Screnock is an extremist whose political views are far beyond the mainstream on women’s health care,” Beilman-Dulin said in a statement.

Dallet said she had never been arrested and had not participated in public protests.

Burns said he had never been arrested. Over the years, he has participated in protests and rallies, such as those opposing limits on collective bargaining and supporting gay rights, said his campaign manager, Amanda Brink.