As highlighted on this blog last Wednesday, Supreme Court candidate Annette Ziegler has ruled in some 45 cases involving a bank on which her husband serves as a director.

The Wisconsin State Journal confirms today that Ziegler did not disclose her conflict of interest, at least in several of the cases, violating the rules of judicial conduct set by the Supreme Court that she wants to join:

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Annette Ziegler failed to disclose a conflict of interest in at least four cases over which she presided as a circuit judge in the past year, interviews and court documents indicate.

Failing to disclose a conflict would put a judge in violation of rules enforced by the high court.

All four cases in 2006 involved people sued by West Bend Savings Bank, where Ziegler's husband, J.J. Ziegler, is a paid member of the board of directors. The defendants said the Washington County Circuit judge did not withdraw from the cases -nor did she disclose her conflict - as required by Supreme Court rules governing the conduct of judges in Wisconsin.

Here's what one of the defendants had to say:

"Now, if she would've said she was involved with West Bend Savings Bank ... we would've said we want a different judge. You want it at least to be fair."

Reporter Dee Hall has the details: