WI Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Former Kenoshan

MADISON, WI (WLIP)–The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a former Kenosha woman who had been convicted of trafficking marijuana and now wants to be a lawyer.

Abby Padlock was 24 when she was caught in Minnesota with another woman in 2015 while trafficking marijuana and was given a lesser sentence for pleading guilty.

When she applied to law school, she reported the conviction as required on her application but did not offer many details about the severity of her case. That led the Wisconsin State Bar to deny her a license to practice law in the state.

On a 4-3 vote, the State Supreme Court disagreed, saying the decision and the bar’s characterization of Padlock was too harsh.

The court found that while details about Padlock’s case were few on her law school application, she was open and honest about it in other school contexts.