Lady Lawyer Appointed to Replace the Sexting DA

The governor of Wisconsin has appointed a woman to replace Sexting (ex-)DA Kenneth Kratz, who resigned after his harassment of abuse victims and all-around creepitude became national news. Incoming DA Jerilyn Dietz starts work on December 19. Hooray, justice!

The AP reports that Governor Jim Doyle appointed Dietz to restore the community’s faith in the office and ensure crime victims have a strong advocate.” Dietz is a former sexual assault victim who has spent her career prosecuting rape, incest, and other sex crimes, and pretty much sounds like the perfect person to replace Kratz—who tried to capitalize on the vulnerability of the abuse victims whose rights he was supposed to be defending in a most spectacularly gross fashion. And just what’s he been up to, anyway? Getting sued in federal court by one of his victims, that’s what.

Unfortunately, the good news comes on a bittersweet note: Doyle, who’s been praised for his support for women’s reproductive rights, didn’t run for reelection. Soon he’ll be replaced by incoming governor Scott Walker—a hardcore conservative who opposes birth control, abortion, and sex ed. Though conservatives are often tough-on-crime and supportive of victims’ rights, it’s hard to say how Walker would have handled this situation. Would he have made such a conscious effort to repair the damage done by Kratz’s behavior by hiring someone like Dietz, who fully understands what it’s like to be victimized? It’s impossible to say, but it’s not looking so good for women’s rights advocates in Wisconsin right now. At least they can be fairly certain that one D.A. is on their side for a couple of years; Dietz has to run for reelection in 2012.