Community activist and attorney Rev. Everett Mitchell now aims to bring restorative justice approaches to the Dane County Circuit Court, after launching a campaign for the fourth branch seat Tuesday.
“Given the disparities we’ve had in our communities, I’ve realized that if we are going to have any systemic change, we need to have people involved in the systemic change itself,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell currently works as the Director of Community Relations at UW-Madison, and also serves as a pastor at Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Madison.
Mitchell previously worked as a domestic abuse prosecutor for Dane County, which he said informed him of the various issues people of color face in the courts.
“The issue was a mix of race and poverty,” Mitchell said. “If people were of color and poor, they didn’t get equitable treatment under the courts.”
Various area leaders have already backed Mitchell, who will seek to replace incumbent Fourth Branch Circuit Court Judge Amy Smith, a 2009 appointee by then-Gov. Jim Doyle, who is not seeking re-election.
“Everett has shown how deeply committed he is to serving the people of Dane County as a community advocate, prosecutor, and pastor,” said state Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, who is Everett’s campaign treasurer, in a Tuesday statement.
Mitchell’s UW-Madison colleagues also praised him.
“Everett Mitchell is smart, wise, and compassionate,” UW-Madison law school professor Michele LaVigne said in a Tuesday statement. “To the core of his being, he believes that justice is indeed for all. Dane County needs him.”
Mitchell said critics will point to comments earlier this year where he said businesses should not pursue harsh consequences for juvenile shoplifters.
“It’s not about being tough or soft. It’s about being smarter, more inclusive of the individual,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell graduated from Morehouse College in Georgia before earning a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology before receiving his law degree from UW-Madison.
Three Dane County judicial seats are open for next spring’s elections. Madison lawyer Valerie Bailey-Rihn announced in June her candidacy for the third branch seat, vacated by Judge John Albert, who is retiring.
