Wisconsin Court of Appeals

Wisconsin Court of Appeals districts

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate appellate court. It was founded in 1978. The court is composed of 16 judges from four districts, headquartered in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Wausau, and Madison. The judges are elected to six-year terms in district-wide, nonpartisan April elections. Vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointment, and a new appointee is required to stand for election to a full six-year term the following spring.[1][2]

## Contents

* 1 Functions
* 2 Districts
* 3 Judges
* 4 Judicial selection
* 4.1 Qualifications
* 4.2 Salary
* 5 Elections
* 5.1 2021
* 5.1.1 District 1
* 5.1.2 District 2
* 5.1.3 District 3
* 5.2 2020
* 5.2.1 District 1
* 5.2.2 District 2
* 5.2.3 District 4
* 5.3 2019
* 5.3.1 District II
* 5.3.2 District III
* 5.3.3 District IV
* 5.4 2018
* 5.4.1 District I
* 5.4.2 District IV
* 5.5 2017
* 5.5.1 Candidates
* 5.5.2 District I
* 5.5.3 District II
* 5.5.4 District III
* 5.5.5 District IV
* 5.6 2016
* 5.7 2013
* 5.7.1 Court of Appeals District II
* 5.7.2 Court of Appeals District III
* 5.7.3 Court of Appeals District IV
* 5.8 2012
* 5.8.1 Court of Appeals District I
* 5.8.2 Court of Appeals District II
* 5.8.3 Court of Appeals District III
* 5.8.4 Court of Appeals District IV
* 5.9 2011
* 5.9.1 Court of Appeals District III
* 5.9.2 Court of Appeals District IV
* 6 Ethics
* 6.1 Removal of judges
* 7 State profile
* 7.1 Presidential voting pattern
* 7.1.1 Pivot Counties (2016)
* 7.1.2 Pivot Counties (2020)
* 8 Recent news
* 9 See also
* 10 External links
* 11 Footnotes

### Functions[edit]

The primary function of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals is to correct errors from Circuit Court cases. Court of appeals opinions become binding precedent unless the Wisconsin Supreme Court overrules them.[3]

Judges of the Court of Appeals sit in three-judge panels for most appeals. Some cases are decided by a single judge, however: small claims actions, municipal ordinance violations, traffic regulation violations, mental health, juvenile, contempt, and misdemeanor cases.[3]

The Court of Appeals makes decisions based on circuit court records and the written briefs of the parties, only hearing oral arguments when the judges think it will help their decision. While the Court of Appeals issues a written decision in every case, it has a publication committee to determine which decisions are published. Only published opinions have precedential authority.[3]

Published opinions of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals can be found here.

## Districts[edit]

District  |  Seat  |  Counties served

|
|

District I |  Milwaukee  |  Milwaukee County
District II |  Waukesha  |  Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago counties
District III |  Wausau  |  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 |  Madison  |  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

## Judges[edit]

District I

Judge | Tenure | Appointed By

|
|

Martin Joseph Donald

September 6, 2019 - Present

Tony Evers

William Brash

December 11, 2015 - Present

Scott Walker

Timothy G. Dugan

December 11, 2016 - Present

Scott Walker

Maxine A. White

February 7, 2020 - Present

Tony Evers

District II

Judge | Tenure | Appointed By

|
|

Mark Gundrum

November 30, 2011 - Present

Scott Walker

Paul F. Reilly

August 1, 2010 - Present

Elected

Shelley Grogan

August 1, 2021 - Present

Elected

Lisa Neubauer

January 7, 2008 - Present

James Doyle

District III

Judge | Tenure | Appointed By

|
|

Lisa Kay Stark

April 23, 2013 - Present

Scott Walker

Thomas M. Hruz

August 1, 2014 - Present

Scott Walker

Greg Gill Jr.

August 1, 2021 - Present

Elected

District IV

Judge | Tenure | Appointed By

|
|

Michael Fitzpatrick

August 1, 2017 - Present

Elected

Jennifer Nashold

August 1, 2019 - Present

Elected

JoAnne Kloppenburg

August 1, 2012 - Present

Elected

Brian Blanchard

August 1, 2010 - Present

Elected

Rachel Graham

July 4, 2019 - Present

Tony Evers

Former judges

* Daniel Anderson
* Rebecca Bradley
* Richard Brown
* Edward Brunner
* Ralph Adam Fine
* Michael Hoover
* Mark Mangerson
* Gregory Peterson
* Gary Sherman

## Judicial selection[edit]

See also Judicial selection in Wisconsin

Court of Appeals judges are elected to six-year terms in nonpartisan elections. If more than two judges are running, they compete in a nonpartisan primary. In case of a vacancy, the governor selects an interim judge. Interim judges must stand for re-election in the next spring election in which no other judge from that district is up for election.[4]

The governor of Wisconsin screens judicial applicants using an advisory council on judicial selection. The council recommends three to five candidates to him, although he is not bound by their recommendations.[4]

The Wisconsin Supreme Court appoints the chief judge of the court of appeals. The chief judge handles administrative matters for the entire court of appeals while continuing to participate fully in deciding cases. The chief judge's term lasts three years.[2][5]

Each of the four districts of the court of appeals is managed by a presiding judge, appointed by the chief judge of the court of appeals. The presiding judges take on these additional duties for two-year terms.[2][5]

### Qualifications[edit]

To be a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, one must be a qualified elector of Wisconsin and must have been licensed to practice law in the state for at least five years prior to election or appointment. The Wisconsin Constitution authorizes the legislature to impose a mandatory retirement age, but it has never done so.[4]

### Salary[edit]

In 2014, the salary of intermediate appellate court judges in Wisconsin was set to $139,059.[6]

## Elections[edit]

### 2021[edit]

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2021

The terms of three Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges expired on July 31, 2021. Judges Jeffrey Davis, Mark A. Seidl, and Maxine White had to run in a nonpartisan election on April 6, 2021, to remain on the bench. A primary was scheduled for February 16, 2021. A full term on the court is six years.

#### District 1[edit]

General election candidates

* Maxine A. White (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

Primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

* Maxine A. White (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

#### District 2[edit]

General election candidates

* Jeffrey Davis (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan)
* Shelley Grogan (Nonpartisan) ✔

Primary candidates

This primary was canceled and these candidates advanced:

* Jeffrey Davis (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
* Shelley Grogan (Nonpartisan) ✔

#### District 3[edit]

General election candidates

* Rick Cveykus (Nonpartisan)
* Greg Gill Jr. (Nonpartisan) ✔

Primary candidates

This primary was canceled and these candidates advanced:

* Rick Cveykus (Nonpartisan) ✔
* Greg Gill Jr. (Nonpartisan) ✔

### 2020[edit]

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

The terms of three Wisconsin Court of Appeals justices expired on July 31, 2020. The three seats were up for nonpartisan election on April 7, 2020. A primary was scheduled for February 18, 2020. A full term on the court is six years.

#### District 1[edit]

General election

##### General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I

Incumbent Martin Joseph Donald won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I on April 7, 2020.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Martin Joseph Donald (Nonpartisan)  |

98.9

| 128,621
|  | Other/Write-in votes |

1.1

| 1,377

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 129,998

|
|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

#### District 2[edit]

General election

##### General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II

Incumbent Lisa Neubauer defeated Paul Bugenhagen Jr. in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II on April 7, 2020.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Lisa Neubauer (Nonpartisan)  |

54.0

| 231,788

| Paul Bugenhagen Jr. (Nonpartisan)  |

45.9

| 196,958
|  | Other/Write-in votes |

0.1

| 540

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 429,286

|
|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

#### District 4[edit]

General election

##### General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Incumbent Rachel Graham won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 7, 2020.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Rachel Graham (Nonpartisan)  |

99.4

| 341,286
|  | Other/Write-in votes |

0.6

| 1,996

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 343,282

|
|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

### 2019[edit]

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2019

#### District II[edit]

General election

##### General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II

Incumbent Mark Gundrum won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II on April 2, 2019.

Candidate

|

✔ |

| Mark Gundrum (Nonpartisan)

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

#### District III[edit]

General election

##### General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III

Incumbent Lisa Kay Stark won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III on April 2, 2019.

Candidate

|

✔ |

| Lisa Kay Stark (Nonpartisan)

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

#### District IV[edit]

General election

##### General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Jennifer Nashold won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 2, 2019.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Jennifer Nashold (Nonpartisan)  |

99.0

| 104,496
|  | Other/Write-in votes |

1.0

| 1,051

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 105,547

|
|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

### 2018[edit]

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

#### District I[edit]

General election

##### General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I

Incumbent Timothy G. Dugan won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I on April 3, 2018.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Timothy G. Dugan (Nonpartisan)  |

98.4

| 70,346
|  | Other/Write-in votes |

1.6

| 1,141

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 71,487

|
|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

#### District IV[edit]

General election

##### General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Incumbent JoAnne Kloppenburg won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 3, 2018.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| JoAnne Kloppenburg (Nonpartisan)  |

98.7

| 239,019
|  | Other/Write-in votes |

1.3

| 3,185

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 242,204

|
|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

### 2017[edit]

#### Candidates[edit]

#### District I[edit]

■ William Brash (Incumbent/Unopposed)

#### District II[edit]

■ Brian Hagedorn (Incumbent/Unopposed)

#### District III[edit]

No judges in District III have terms expiring in 2017.

#### District IV[edit]

Judge Paul Higginbotham declined to run for re-election even though his term expires in 2017.[7]

■ Michael R. Fitzpatrick (Unopposed)

|

### 2016[edit]

See also: Wisconsin judicial elections, 2016
Wisconsin Court of Appeals, First District, Joan Kessler's Seat, 2016

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Joan Kessler Incumbent (unopposed) | 98.77% | 175,733
Write-in votes | 1.23% | 2,189
Total Votes (100% Reporting) | 177,922
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board Official Results

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Second District, Paul Reilly's Seat, 2016

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Paul Reilly Incumbent (unopposed) | 99.49% | 388,214
Write-in votes | 0.51% | 2,008
Total Votes (100% Reporting) | 390,222
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board Official Results

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Third District, Thomas Hruz's Seat, 2016

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Thomas M. Hruz Incumbent (unopposed) | 99.62% | 364,032
Write-in votes | 0.38% | 1,393
Total Votes (100% Reporting) | 365,425
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board Official Results

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Fourth District, Brian Blanchard's Seat, 2016

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Brian Blanchard Incumbent (unopposed) | 99.43% | 407,280
Write-in votes | 0.57% | 2,351
Total Votes (100% Reporting) | 409,631
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board Official Results

### 2013[edit]

See also: Wisconsin judicial elections, 2013

##### Court of Appeals District II[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

GundrumMark GundrumA| Yes| District II| | 99.55% A

##### Court of Appeals District III[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

StarkLisa StarkA| No| District III| | 99.6% A

##### Court of Appeals District IV[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

LundstenPaul LundstenA| Yes| District IV| | 99.55% A

### 2012[edit]

##### Court of Appeals District I[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

FineRalph Adam Fine A| Yes| District I| n/a| 100% A

##### Court of Appeals District II[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

BrownRichard Brown (Wisconsin) A| Yes| District II| n/a| 100% A

##### Court of Appeals District III[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

MangersonMark Mangerson A| Yes| District III| n/a| 100% A

##### Court of Appeals District IV[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

KloppenburgJoAnne Kloppenburg A| No| District IV| n/a| 100% A

### 2011[edit]

##### Court of Appeals District III[edit]

The following is a list of candidates for the Court of Appeals District III 2011 election:Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

PetersonGregory Peterson A| Yes| District III| |  A

##### Court of Appeals District IV[edit]

The following is a list of candidates for the Court of Appeals District IV 2011 election:Candidate| Incumbency| Position| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|
|

KloppenburgJoAnne Kloppenburg | No| District IV| | 49.70% A
HigginbothamPaul Higginbotham A| Yes| | |  A

## Ethics[edit]

The Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Wisconsin. It consists of seven Supreme Court Rules:

* Rule 60.01: Definitions.
* Rule 60.02: A judge shall uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary.
* Rule 60.03: A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all of the judge's activities.
* Rule 60.04: A judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially and diligently.
* Rule 60.05: A judge shall so conduct the judge's extra-judicial activities as to minimize the risk of conflict with judicial obligations.
* Rule 60.06: A judge or judicial candidate shall refrain from inappropriate political activity.
* Rule 60.07: Applicability.[8]

The full text of the Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

### Removal of judges[edit]

Court of Appeals judges in Wisconsin may be removed in one of four ways:

* By the Supreme Court, on the recommendation of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission.
* By a two-thirds vote of the Senate, upon impeachment by a majority vote of the Assembly.
* By the governor, upon address of both houses of the legislature with concurrence of two thirds of each house.
* By the voters through a recall election.[9]

## State profile[edit]

Demographic data for Wisconsin

| Wisconsin| U.S.
Total population:| 5,767,891| 316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):| 54,158| 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:| 86.5%| 73.6%
Black/African American:| 6.3%| 12.6%
Asian:| 2.5%| 5.1%
Native American:| 0.9%| 0.8%
Pacific Islander:| 0%| 0.2%
Two or more:| 2.1%| 3%
Hispanic/Latino:| 6.3%| 17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:| 91%| 86.7%
College graduation rate:| 27.8%| 29.8%
Income
Median household income:| $53,357| $53,889
Persons below poverty level:| 15%| 11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wisconsin.

* * *

**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

### Presidential voting pattern[edit]

See also: Presidential voting trends in Wisconsin

Wisconsin voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016.

#### Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 23 are located in Wisconsin, accounting for 11.17 percent of the total pivot counties.[10]

#### Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Wisconsin had 21 Retained Pivot Counties and two Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 11.60 and 8.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Wisconsin coverage on Ballotpedia

* Elections in Wisconsin
* United States congressional delegations from Wisconsin
* Public policy in Wisconsin
* Influencers in Wisconsin
* Wisconsin fact checks
* More...

## Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Wisconsin Court Appeals. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Wisconsin Court of Appeals - Google News

## See also[edit]

Wisconsin | Judicial Selection | More Courts

|
|

Courts in Wisconsin Wisconsin Court of Appeals Wisconsin Supreme Court |  Elections: 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Wisconsin |  Federal courts State courts Local courts

## External links[edit]

* Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals"
* Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals: Judges"

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Blue Book History of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals"
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals: Function," archived May 27, 2010
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Wisconsin," accessed October 27, 2015
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals: Judges," accessed October 27, 2015
6. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Salary Tracker," accessed October 27, 2015
7. ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "State appeals court judge Paul Higginbotham won't seek re-election," May 18, 2016
8. ↑ Wisconsin Court System, "SCR Chapter 60: Code of Judicial Conduct," amended November 20, 1979
9. ↑ National Center For State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Wisconsin: Removal of Judges," accessed October 27, 2015
10. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.

Wisconsin courts

* * *

Federal courts:

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin

State courts:

Wisconsin Supreme Court • Wisconsin Court of Appeals • Wisconsin Circuit Courts

State resources:

Courts in Wisconsin • Wisconsin judicial elections • Judicial selection in Wisconsin

v • e

Wisconsin Court of Appeals
Judicial selection in Wisconsin • 2021 elections • 2020 elections • Wisconsin Supreme Court

|

District I:|

William Brash • Martin Joseph Donald • Timothy Dugan • Maxine White •

District II:|  Lisa Neubauer • Paul Reilly • Mark Gundrum • Shelley Grogan •
District III:|

Lisa Stark • Gregory Gill, Jr. • Thomas M. Hruz •

District IV:|

Michael R. Fitzpatrick • Brian Blanchard • JoAnne Kloppenburg • Jennifer Nashold • Rachel Graham •

v • e

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