Wisconsin Court of Appeals
| Court of Appeals of Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | August 1978 |
| Jurisdiction |  Wisconsin |
| Location | Milwaukee (District I) Waukesha (District II) Wausau (District III) Madison (District IV) |
| Composition method | Non-partisan election from within judicial district |
| Authorised by | Wis. Const. Art VII § 5 Wis. Stats. Chapter 752 |
| Appeals to | Supreme Court of Wisconsin |
| Appeals from | Wisconsin circuit courts |
| Judge term length | Six years |
| Number of positions | 16 |
| Website | www |
| Chief Judge | |
| Currently | Maxine Aldridge White |
| Since | August 1, 2023 |
| Deputy Chief Judge | |
| Currently | Lisa K. Stark |
| Since | August 2, 2015 |
| Division map | |
 | |
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that reviews contested decisions of the Wisconsin circuit courts. The Court of Appeals was created in August 1978[1] to alleviate the Wisconsin Supreme Court's rising number of appellate cases. Published Court of Appeals opinions are considered binding precedent until overruled by the Supreme Court; unpublished opinions are not. The Court hears most appeals in three-judge panels, but appeals of circuit court decisions in misdemeanor, small claims, and municipal ordinance cases are decided by a single judge.
Composition
[edit]The Court of Appeals comprises 16 judges elected to six-year terms in four geographic districts. Districts I and II have four judges each, three judges are chambered in District III, and five in District IV. The court is administered by a chief judge, appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, who is assisted by a deputy chief judge and a presiding judge in each district. Vacancies on the court are filled by gubernatorial appointment; following the appointment of a judge, a new election for that seat is scheduled in the next Spring election in which no other Appeals Court seat in that Appeals Court District is up for election, unless that election occurs less than five months from the date of the appointment.[2]
Districts
[edit]- District I is chambered in Milwaukee and contains only Milwaukee County.
- District II is chambered in Waukesha and contains Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago counties.
- District III is chambered in Wausau and contains Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Forest, Iron, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vilas, and Washburn counties.
- District IV is chambered in Madison and contains Adams, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Monroe, Portage, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood counties.
Current judges
[edit]| Judge | Born | Joined | Term ends[a] | Appointed by | Law school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District I | |||||
| Maxine Aldridge White, Chief Judge | 1951 (age 73–74) | February 7, 2020 | 2027 | Tony Evers (D) | Marquette |
| M. Joseph Donald, Deputy Chief Judge | February 8, 1959 | September 4, 2019 | 2026 | Tony Evers (D) | Marquette |
| Sara Geenen | 1981 or 1982 (age 43–44) | August 1, 2023 | 2029 | —[b] | Wisconsin |
| Pedro Colón | April 7, 1968 | November 20, 2023 | 2030 | Tony Evers (D) | Wisconsin |
| District II | |||||
| Mark Gundrum, Presiding Judge | March 20, 1970 | November 4, 2011 | 2031 | Scott Walker (R) | Wisconsin |
| Lisa Neubauer | July 21, 1957 | January 7, 2008 | 2026 | Jim Doyle (D) | Chicago |
| Shelley Grogan | August 14, 1967 | August 1, 2021 | 2027 | —[b] | Marquette |
| Maria S. Lazar | 1964 (age 60–61) | August 1, 2022 | 2028 | —[b] | Georgetown |
| District III | |||||
| Lisa K. Stark, Presiding Judge | March 15, 1957 | April 23, 2013 | 2031 | Scott Walker (R)[c] | Wisconsin |
| Thomas Hruz | November 12, 1973 | August 1, 2014 | 2028 | Scott Walker (R) | Marquette |
| Gregory Gill | February 26, 1975 | August 1, 2021 | 2027 | —[b] | Marquette |
| District IV | |||||
| JoAnne Kloppenburg, Presiding Judge | September 5, 1953 | August 1, 2012 | 2030 | —[b] | Wisconsin |
| Brian Blanchard | November 7, 1958 | August 1, 2010 | 2028 | —[b] | Northwestern |
| Rachel A. Graham | June 7, 1976 | July 4, 2019 | 2026 | Tony Evers (D) | Wisconsin |
| Jennifer E. Nashold | 1965 (age 59–60) | August 1, 2019 | 2031 | —[b] | Wisconsin |
| Chris Taylor | January 13, 1968 | August 1, 2023 | 2029 | —[b] | Wisconsin |
Judges
[edit]District I
[edit]| Judge | Start year | End year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert C. Cannon | 1978 | 1981 | Presiding Judge (1978–1979) |
| John A. Decker | 1978 | 1984 | Chief Judge (1978–1983) |
| William R. Moser | 1978 | 1992 | Presiding Judge (1985–1992) Presiding Judge (1979–1983) |
| Rudolph T. Randa | 1981 | 1982 | Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus (R) Elevated to E.D. Wis. |
| Michael T. Sullivan | 1984 | 1996 | |
| Charles B. Schudson | 1992 | 2004 | |
| Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. | 1982 | 1988 | Presiding Judge (1983–1985) |
| 1992 | 2008 | Presiding Judge (1993–2007) | |
| Ralph Adam Fine | 1988 | 2014 | |
| Patricia Curley | 1996 | 2016 | Presiding Judge (2007–2016) |
| Joan Kessler | 2004 | 2020 | |
| Kitty Brennan | 2008 | 2019 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) |
| Rebecca Bradley | 2015 | 2015 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Elevated to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by Scott Walker (R) |
| William Brash | 2015 | 2023 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Chief Judge (2021–2023) Presiding Judge (2019–2021) Lost re-election |
| Timothy Dugan | 2016 | 2023 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) |
| Joe Donald | 2019 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) Presiding Judge (2021-Present) | |
| Maxine Aldridge White | 2020 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) Chief Judge (2023–present) | |
| Sara Geenen | 2023 | ||
| Pedro Colón | 2023 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) |
District II
[edit]| Judge | Start year | End year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harold M. Bode | 1978 | 1981 | |
| Clair H. Voss | 1978 | 1983 | Presiding Judge (1978–1983) |
| Richard S. Brown | 1978 | 2015 | Chief Judge (2007–2015) Presiding Judge (1996–2001) Presiding Judge (1983–1990) |
| Burton A. Scott | 1980 | 1991 | Chief Judge (1983–1989) |
| Neal Nettesheim | 1983 | 2007 | Appointed by Tony Earl (D) Deputy Chief Judge (1998–2007) Presiding Judge (2001–2003) Presiding Judge (1990–1993) |
| Daniel P. Anderson | 1990 | 2011 | Presiding Judge (2007–2009) Presiding Judge (2003–2005) Presiding Judge (1993–1996) |
| Harry G. Snyder | 1991 | 2010 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson (R) Presiding Judge |
| Lisa S. Neubauer | 2007 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) Chief Judge (2015–2021) Presiding Judge (2009–2015) | |
| Paul F. Reilly | 2010 | 2022 | Presiding Judge (2015–2021) |
| Mark Gundrum | 2011 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Presiding Judge (2021–present) | |
| Brian Hagedorn | 2015 | 2019 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Elected to Wisconsin Supreme Court |
| Jeffrey O. Davis | 2019 | 2021 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) Lost re-election |
| Shelley Grogan | 2021 | ||
| Lori Kornblum | 2022 | 2022 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) Lost re-election |
| Maria S. Lazar | 2022 |
District III
[edit]| Judge | Start year | End year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. Patrick Donlin | 1978 | 1981 | |
| John P. Foley | 1978 | 1984 | Presiding Judge (1981–1984) |
| Robert W. Dean | 1978 | 1986 | Presiding Judge (1978–1981) |
| Thomas Cane | 1981 | 2007 | Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus (R) Chief Judge (1998–2007) Deputy Chief Judge (1989–1998) Presiding Judge (1984–1998) |
| Daniel L. LaRocque | 1985 | 1997 | Appointed by Tony Earl (D) |
| Gordon Myse | 1986 | 1999 | Appointed by Tony Earl (D) Presiding Judge (1998–1999) |
| Michael W. Hoover | 1997 | 2015 | Deputy Chief Judge (2012–2015) Presiding Judge (1999–2015) |
| Gregory A. Peterson | 1999 | 2007 | Deputy Chief Judge (2007–2012) |
| Edward R. Brunner | 2007 | 2011 | |
| Mark Mangerson | 2011 | 2014 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) |
| Lisa K. Stark | 2013 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Deputy Chief Judge (2015–present) Presiding Judge (2015–present) | |
| Thomas F. Hruz | 2014 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) | |
| Mark Seidl | 2015 | 2021 | |
| Gregory Gill | 2021 |
District IV
[edit]| Judge | Start year | End year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martha Bablitch | 1978 | 1985 | |
| Paul C. Gartzke | 1978 | 1996 | Presiding Judge (1978–1996) |
| Charles P. Dykman | 1978 | 2010 | Presiding Judge (2009–2010) Presiding Judge (1996–2001) |
| William Eich | 1985 | 2000 | Appointed by Tony Earl (D) Chief Judge (1989–1998) |
| Robert D. Sundby | 1986 | 1996 | |
| Margaret J. Vergeront | 1994 | 2012 | Presiding Judge (2010–2011) |
| Patience D. Roggensack | 1996 | 2003 | Elected to Wisconsin Supreme Court |
| David G. Deininger | 1996 | 2007 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson (R) Presiding Judge (2003–2005) |
| Paul Lundsten | 2000 | 2019 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson (R) Presiding Judge (2017–2019) Presiding Judge (2011–2013) Presiding Judge (2005–2007) |
| Paul B. Higginbotham | 2003 | 2017 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) Presiding Judge (2007–2009) |
| Burnie Bridge | 2007 | 2010 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) |
| Gary Sherman | 2010 | 2019 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) |
| Brian Blanchard | 2010 | Presiding Judge (2021-present) Presiding Judge (2013–2015) | |
| JoAnne Kloppenburg | 2012 | Presiding Judge (2015–2017) | |
| Michael R. Fitzpatrick | 2017 | 2023 | Presiding Judge (2019-2021) |
| Rachel A. Graham | 2019 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) | |
| Jennifer E. Nashold | 2019 | ||
| Chris Taylor | 2023 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Olive, Ralph D. (September 7, 1979). "Judges Studying Violent Crime Bail". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^ "Wisconsin Statutes Ch. 8.50 (4) (f)". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
External links
[edit]State intermediate appellate courts in the United States | ||
|---|---|---|
|  | |
Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming do not have intermediate appellate courts. | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |