Wisconsin witch hunt

The Wisconsin witch hunt was a 2001-2002 political scandal and religious persecution in which two Wisconsin politicians used their public offices to attempt to terminate the employment of a Wisconsin state employee because of her unpopular religious beliefs as a Wiccan.

Genesis of scandal

In December 2001, Scott Walker, then a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and chair of the Assembly Committee on Corrections and Courts, learned that the Wisconsin Department of Corrections had recently hired Rev. Jamyi Witch as a prison chaplain at the Waupun Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin. Witch, who had volunteered for two years as a chaplain and had an extensive knowledge of alternative religions, had competed against 9 other candidates for the civil service position and was hired as the most qualified candidate for the $32,500 per year job.

The chaplain was a practicing Wiccan and had, in fact, changed her last name to Witch in honor of her chosen religion.

Persecution of Witch

Walker objected publicly on the basis of her religion to the chaplain’s hiring, saying: "Witch's hiring raises both personal and political concerns. Not only does she practice a different religion than most of the inmates -- she practices a religion that actually offends people of many other faiths, including Christians, Muslims and Jews."

Walker threatened to launch a government investigation of the chaplain’s hiring, and was joined by Representative Michael Huebsch of West Salem, in his efforts to terminate the woman's employment. "Taxpayers shouldn't be forced to accept this hocus-pocus," Huebsch stated. Huebsch proposed to delete the state appropriation which funded Witch's position, even though in the past he had repeatedly advocated increasing state funding for prison chaplains.

Walker and Huebsch continued their pursuit of the case over the 2001-2002 Christmas holidays. After several weeks of unwanted publicity, the chaplain began to receive death threats and reported that on one day alone she had received 432 emails and 76 phone messages at her home.

Aftermath of Wisconsin witch hunt

Walker and Huebsch, who had said they would draft legislation to prevent similar hirings by the state of Wisconsin, were ultimately unsuccessful in their efforts to terminate the employment of Witch, who was represented by the Wisconsin State Employees Union, founding body of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Witch and the prison's only Muslim chaplain were subsequently excluded from the longstanding Waupun Clergy Association, which declared that it was open only to Christians.

2011 accusation against Witch

In 2011, Witch was charged with multiple criminal offenses related to her position as a prison chaplain. Prosecutors allege that she concocted a hostage crisis in order to get a transfer to another prison, and in the process sexually assaulted and delivered narcotics to an inmate. If convicted of the charges, she could be imprisoned herself for up to 60 years. She is suspended while the investigation is underway. A trial date of May 8, 2012 was initially set.