Wisconsin Court of Appeals

Intermediate appellate court of Wisconsin

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.wicourts.gov/courts/appeals/
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 Published Court of Appeals opinions are considered binding precedent until overruled by the Supreme Court; unpublished opinions are not.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

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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

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* 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

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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 |  (1959-02-08) February 8, 1959 (age 66) | September 4, 2019 | 2026  | Tony Evers (D)  | Marquette
Sara Geenen | 1981 or 1982 (age 43–44)  | August 1, 2023 | 2029  | —[b] | Wisconsin
Pedro Colón |  (1968-04-07) April 7, 1968 (age 57) | November 20, 2023 | 2030  | Tony Evers (D)  | Wisconsin
District II
Mark Gundrum, Presiding Judge |  (1970-03-20) March 20, 1970 (age 55) | November 4, 2011 | 2031  | Scott Walker (R)  | Wisconsin
Lisa Neubauer |  (1957-07-21) July 21, 1957 (age 67) | January 7, 2008 | 2026  | Jim Doyle (D)  | Chicago
Shelley Grogan |  (1967-08-14) August 14, 1967 (age 57) | 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 |  (1957-03-15) March 15, 1957 (age 68) | April 23, 2013 | 2031  | Scott Walker (R)[c] | Wisconsin
Thomas Hruz |  (1973-11-12) November 12, 1973 (age 51) | August 1, 2014 | 2028  | Scott Walker (R)  | Marquette
Gregory Gill |  (1975-02-26) February 26, 1975 (age 50) | August 1, 2021 | 2027  | —[b] | Marquette
District IV
JoAnne Kloppenburg, Presiding Judge |  (1953-09-05) September 5, 1953 (age 71) | August 1, 2012 | 2030  | —[b] | Wisconsin
Brian Blanchard |  (1958-11-07) November 7, 1958 (age 66) | August 1, 2010 | 2028  | —[b] | Northwestern
Rachel A. Graham |  (1976-06-07) June 7, 1976 (age 49) | July 4, 2019 | 2026  | Tony Evers (D)  | Wisconsin
Jennifer E. Nashold | 1965 (age 59–60)  | August 1, 2019 | 2031  | —[b] | Wisconsin
Chris Taylor |  (1968-01-13) January 13, 1968 (age 57) | August 1, 2023 | 2029  | —[b] | Wisconsin

1. ^ Terms end on July 31.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Took office after being elected in a nonpartisan election.
3. ^ Judge Stark was initially elected in the 2013 spring election. Governor Walker then appointed Stark to the vacant seat, allowing her to begin her term 3 months earlier than scheduled.

## Judges

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### 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]

* Courts of Wisconsin

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Olive, Ralph D. (September 7, 1979). "Judges Studying Violent Crime Bail". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
2. ^ "Wisconsin Statutes Ch. 8.50 (4) (f)". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved August 22, 2020.

## External links

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* About the Court of Appeals
* Wisconsin Court of Appeals Operating Procedures
* Court of Appeals Judges

* v
* t
* e

Judges of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals

Chief Judge|

* White

District I (Milwaukee)|

* Donald
* White
* Geenen
* Colón

District II (Waukesha)|

* Neubauer
* Gundrum
* Grogan
* Lazar

District III (Wausau)|

* Stark
* Hruz
* Gill

District IV (Madison)|

* Blanchard
* Kloppenburg
* Graham
* Nashold
* Taylor

* v
* t
* e

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