OSHKOSH, Wis., June 18 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin district attorney, banned from carrying a weapon into a courtroom, says he will ask for a clarification in state Supreme Court.
As an elected district attorney Christian Gossett of Winnebago County is among the few allowed to carry a concealed weapon into a courthouse, but the county's circuit judges have ruled he cannot bring a gun to work without written consent of the presiding judicial officer, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Monday.
Gossett and his chief deputy, Scott Ceman, both "concealed carry" permit holders, have asked Wisconsin's Supreme Court to declare the judges' authority was exceeded in the matter.
His petition, filed Monday, says the Winnebago judges issued orders in January based on their "inherent authority … to control their court rooms," but state no precedence for using that authority.
Gossett claims their order contravenes Act 35, a Wisconsin law passed last year that specifically allows district attorneys and their assistants to carry guns in courthouses if they have the necessary concealed weapons permit.
