Wisconsin Court of Appeals

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 Published Court of Appeals opinions are considered binding precedent until overruled by the Supreme Court; unpublished opinions are not.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.

Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
EstablishedAugust 1978
Jurisdiction Wisconsin
LocationMilwaukee (District I)
Waukesha (District II)
Wausau (District III)
Madison (District IV)
Composition methodNon-partisan election from within judicial district
Authorised byWis. Const. Art VII § 5
Wis. Stats. Chapter 752
Appeals toSupreme Court of Wisconsin
Appeals fromWisconsin circuit courts
Judge term lengthSix years
Number of positions16
Websitewww.wicourts.gov/courts/appeals/ Edit this at Wikidata
Chief Judge
CurrentlyMaxine Aldridge White
SinceAugust 1, 2023
Deputy Chief Judge
CurrentlyLisa K. Stark
SinceAugust 2, 2015
Division map

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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Current judges

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Name Years on court Assumed office Term ends[a] Law school
District I
Presiding Judge Joe Donald 5 September 4, 2019 2026 Marquette University
Chief Judge Maxine Aldridge White 4 January 16, 2020 2027 Marquette University
Judge 3 Sara J. Geenen 1 August 1, 2023 2029 University of Wisconsin
Judge 4 Pedro Colón 0 November 20, 2023 2030 University of Wisconsin
District II
Judge 1 Lisa S. Neubauer 16 December 2007 2026 University of Chicago
Presiding Judge Mark D. Gundrum 12 November 4, 2011 2025 University of Wisconsin
Judge 3 Shelley Grogan 3 August 1, 2021 2027 Marquette University
Judge 4 Maria S. Lazar 2 August 1, 2022 2028 Georgetown University
District III
Deputy Chief Judge (PJ) Lisa K. Stark 11 April 23, 2013 2025 University of Wisconsin
Judge 2 Thomas F. Hruz 10 July 21, 2014 2028 Marquette University
Judge 3 Greg Gill 3 August 1, 2021 2027 Marquette University
District IV
Presiding Judge Brian W. Blanchard 14 August 1, 2010 2028 Northwestern University
Judge 2 JoAnne F. Kloppenburg 12 August 1, 2012 2030 University of Wisconsin
Judge 3 Rachel A. Graham 5 July 4, 2019 2026 University of Wisconsin
Judge 4 Jennifer E. Nashold 5 August 1, 2019 2025 University of Wisconsin
Judge 5 Chris Taylor 1 August 1, 2023 2029 University of Wisconsin
  1. ^ Terms end on July 31.

Judges

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District I

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Judge District Start year End year Notes
Robert C. Cannon I 1978 1981 Presiding Judge (1978–1979)
John A. Decker I 1978 1984 Chief Judge (1978–1983)
William R. Moser I 1978 1992 Presiding Judge (1985–1992)
Presiding Judge (1979–1983)
Rudolph T. Randa I 1981 1982 Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus
Elevated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
Michael T. Sullivan I 1984 1996
Charles B. Schudson I 1992 2004
Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. I 1982 1988 Presiding Judge (1983–1985)
1992 2008 Presiding Judge (1993–2007)
Ralph Adam Fine I 1988 2014
Patricia Curley I 1996 2016 Presiding Judge (2007–2016)
Joan Kessler I 2004 2020
Kitty Brennan I 2008 2019 Appointed by Jim Doyle
Rebecca Bradley I 2015 2015 Appointed by Scott Walker
William Brash I 2015 2023 Appointed by Scott Walker
Chief Judge (2021–2023)
Presiding Judge (2019–2021)
Lost re-election
Timothy Dugan I 2016 2023 Appointed by Scott Walker
Joe Donald I 2019 Appointed by Tony Evers
Presiding Judge (2021-Present)
Maxine Aldridge White I 2020 Appointed by Tony Evers
Chief Judge (2023–present)
Sara J. Geenen I 2023
Pedro Colón I 2023 Appointed by Tony Evers

District II

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Judge District Start year End year Notes
Harold M. Bode II 1978 1981
Clair H. Voss II 1978 1983 Presiding Judge (1978–1983)
Richard S. Brown II 1978 2015 Chief Judge (2007–2015)
Presiding Judge (1996–2001)
Presiding Judge (1983–1990)
Burton A. Scott II 1980 1991 Chief Judge (1983–1989)
Neal Nettesheim II 1983 2007 Appointed by Tony Earl
Deputy Chief Judge (1998–2007)
Presiding Judge (2001–2003)
Presiding Judge (1990–1993)
Daniel P. Anderson II 1990 2011 Presiding Judge (2007–2009)
Presiding Judge (2003–2005)
Presiding Judge (1993–1996)
Harry G. Snyder II 1991 2010 Appointed by Tommy Thompson
Presiding Judge
Lisa S. Neubauer II 2007 Appointed by Jim Doyle
Chief Judge (2015–2021)
Presiding Judge (2009–2015)
Paul F. Reilly II 2010 2022 Presiding Judge (2015–2021)
Mark Gundrum II 2011 Appointed by Scott Walker
Presiding Judge (2021–present)
Brian Hagedorn II 2015 2019 Appointed by Scott Walker
Elevated to Wisconsin Supreme Court
Jeffrey O. Davis II 2019 2021 Appointed by Tony Evers
Lost re-election
Shelley Grogan II 2021
Lori Kornblum II 2022 2022 Appointed by Tony Evers
Lost re-election
Maria S. Lazar II 2022

District III

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Judge District Start year End year Notes
W. Patrick Donlin III 1978 1981
John P. Foley III 1978 1984 Presiding Judge (1981–1984)
Robert W. Dean III 1978 1986 Presiding Judge (1978–1981)
Thomas Cane III 1981 2007 Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus
Chief Judge (1998–2007)
Deputy Chief Judge (1989–1998)
Presiding Judge (1984–1998)
Daniel L. LaRocque III 1985 1997 Appointed by Tony Earl
Gordon Myse III 1986 1999 Appointed by Tony Earl
Presiding Judge (1998–1999)
Michael W. Hoover III 1997 2015 Deputy Chief Judge (2012–2015)
Presiding Judge (1999–2015)
Gregory A. Peterson III 1999 2007 Deputy Chief Judge (2007–2012)
Edward R. Brunner III 2007 2011
Mark Mangerson III 2011 2014 Appointed by Scott Walker
Lisa K. Stark III 2013 Appointed by Scott Walker
Deputy Chief Judge (2015–present)
Presiding Judge (2015–present)
Thomas F. Hruz III 2014 Appointed by Scott Walker
Mark Seidl III 2015 2021
Greg Gill III 2021

District IV

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Judge District Start year End year Notes
Martha Bablitch IV 1978 1985
Paul C. Gartzke IV 1978 1996 Presiding Judge (1978–1996)
Charles P. Dykman IV 1978 2010 Presiding Judge (2009–2010)
Presiding Judge (1996–2001)
William Eich IV 1985 2000 Appointed by Tony Earl

Chief Judge (1989–1998)

Robert D. Sundby IV 1986 1996
Margaret J. Vergeront IV 1994 2012 Presiding Judge (2010–2011)
Patience D. Roggensack IV 1996 2003 Elevated to Wisconsin Supreme Court
David G. Deininger IV 1996 2007 Appointed by Tommy Thompson
Presiding Judge (2003–2005)
Paul Lundsten IV 2000 2019 Appointed by Tommy Thompson
Presiding Judge (2017–2019)
Presiding Judge (2011–2013)
Presiding Judge (2005–2007)
Paul B. Higginbotham IV 2003 2017 Appointed by Jim Doyle
Presiding Judge (2007–2009)
Burnie Bridge IV 2007 2010 Appointed by Jim Doyle
Gary Sherman IV 2010 2019 Appointed by Jim Doyle
Brian Blanchard IV 2010 Presiding Judge (2021-present)
Presiding Judge (2013–2015)
JoAnne Kloppenburg IV 2012 Presiding Judge (2015–2017)
Michael R. Fitzpatrick IV 2017 2023 Presiding Judge (2019-2021)
Rachel A. Graham IV 2019 Appointed by Tony Evers
Jennifer E. Nashold IV 2019
Chris Taylor IV 2023

See also

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References

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  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.
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