Courts welcome 13 new judges; four incumbents re-elected over challenger
The April election brought new faces to the bench in Chippewa, Dane, Douglas, Green, Jefferson, Kenosha, Marathon, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Sawyer and Wood counties.
The new judges will fill newly created branches, replace retiring judges, and – in one county – replace a defeated incumbent judge. Of the five incumbents who faced challengers, four were re-elected. Here is the rundown (length and detail vary based upon each candidate's submissions):
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Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson |
Supreme Court
Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson
In the highest profile race on the spring ballot, Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson handily won election to a fourth 10-year term, beating challenger Randy Koschnick, a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge, by 59 percent to 41 percent
In its editorial endorsing Abrahamson, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called her a "judicial heavyweight whose knowledge of the law and work ethic are legendary around the Capitol and whose accomplishments led her to be considered for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court." The newspaper noted Abrahamson's national and international reputation, and her inclusion in a list of the top 100 American judges of all time, compiled in the 2003 book, "Great American Judges: An Encyclopedia."
Abrahamson has served on the Court for 33 years and is now on track to become the longest-serving justice in state history. Only one other justice has been elected four times: Orsamus Cole, who served for 37 years. Cole joined the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1855 after serving in the U.S. Congress. He was a justice for 25 years and chief justice for 12 years prior to his retirement in 1892.
Bayfield County
Judge John P. Anderson
Judge John P. Anderson, who won election to the Bayfield County Circuit Court in 2003 by beating an incumbent judge, handily turned back a challenge from Gene D. Linehan, a criminal defense lawyer with a practice in Wausau.
Anderson first took the bench six years ago by unseating Judge John H. Priebe, who had practiced law in Rhinelander before Gov. Scott McCallum appointed him to replace Judge Thomas T. Lindsey, who passed away during his first term of office.
Anderson is a lifelong resident of Bayfield County who served as a court commissioner, president of the Ashland-Bayfield County Bar Association, and a partner in a local law firm prior to taking the bench. He is married to Tracy Anderson. The couple has two children, Karli and Jacob.
Burnett County
Judge Kenneth L. Kutz
In Burnett County, Judge Kenneth L. Kutz, an appointee of Gov. Jim Doyle, won election to a full term after defeating Paul W. Baxter, a Douglas County court commissioner. Kutz won by a margin of 69-31 percent.
Kutz served as Burnett County district attorney for 21 years prior to taking the bench. He succeeded Judge Michael J. Gableman, who won election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2008 by defeating incumbent Justice Louis B. Butler Jr.
Kutz first tried for the Burnett County judgeship in 2003, when he ran unsuccessfully against Gableman, who was then a new appointee of Gov. Scott McCallum.
Kutz is married to Patricia Kutz. The couple has three children: Brian, Sean and Brendan.
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Judge-elect James M. Isaacson |
Chippewa County
Judge-elect James M. Isaacson
Atty. James M. Isaacson of Cadott beat Atty. Steven H. Gibbs of Chippewa Falls to win election to Branch 2, which is vacant due to the retirement of Judge Thomas J. Sazama (see The Third Branch, fall 2008).
Isaacson has practiced law in Cadott for 30 years and has been a court commissioner for 12 years. A 1978 graduate of Marquette Law School, Isaacson has volunteered his time in the lawyer regulation system and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the State Bar Family Law Section.
Isaacson and his wife, Linda, operate a small farm and have four children: Megan, Aaron, Molly and Jason.
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Judge-elect Julie Genovese |
Dane County
Judge-elect Julie Genovese
Atty. Julie Genovese, who won a three-way primary with more than 60 percent of the vote, beat Assistant U.S. Atty. Stephen Ehlke to fill the seat being vacated by the retirement of Judge Michael N. Nowakowski at the end of July (see The Third Branch, summer 2008).
Genovese has practiced law for 20 years, and was the first woman partner in litigation at the Madison law office of Foley & Lardner. She began her legal career as law clerk to then-Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson in 1987.
Genovese is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and Harvard College. She is married to David Harth and is the mother of three sons and a daughter.
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Judge-elect Kelly J. Thimm |
Douglas County
Judge-elect Kelly J. Thimm
Assistant District Atty. Kelly J. Thimm faced his boss, Douglas County District Atty. Daniel W. Blank, in the race to succeed Judge Michael T. Lucci. Thimm won by a margin of 300 votes out of about 9,000 cast.
Lucci is retiring after 24 years on the bench in Superior (see separate story).
Thimm has worked as an assistant district attorney for his entire 12-year legal career. He also has served, since 2004, as a hearing examiner for the Superior School Board. In this capacity, he presides over expulsion hearings and advises the School Board.
A graduate of the University of Minnesota, where he earned a bachelor's degree in criminology and political science, Thimm earned his law degree from the UW Law School.
Thimm is a member of the Superior Public Museum Board, coach of the Superior High School Mock Trial team, and a member of the Jaycees and Optimist Club. In 2007, Thimm was named 'Outstanding Young Superiorite'.
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Judge-elect Craig R. Day |
Judge George S. Curry |
Grant County
Judge-elect Craig R. Day
Atty. Craig R. Day beat incumbent Judge George S. Curry, who initially took the bench in Grant County as an appointee of Gov. Tommy G. Thompson in 1990, and who was subsequently elected and re-elected in 1991, 1997 and 2003.
Day told the media that he was running to bring a fresh perspective to the bench. He has practiced law in Lancaster for 18 years, spending 11 years at the law firm of Hoskins Brown before opening his own three-person firm. He also served for 10 years as coach for the Iowa-Grant High School Mock Trial team.
Day was raised on his family's dairy farm in Iowa County. He is a graduate of the UW Law School and UW-La Crosse. He and his wife, Tess, are the parents of three teenagers: Stacy, 17, Brian, 16, and AJ, 14.
In his spare time, Day is active in youth sports. Over the years, he has coached football, basketball and baseball.
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Judge-elect Thomas J. Vale |
Green County
Judge-elect Thomas J. Vale
In Green County, Atty. Thomas J. Vale took about 51 percent of the vote to defeat Atty. Dan D. Gartzke in the race for the newly created Branch 2 seat. The Monroe Times, which endorsed Vale, called both men "fine choices" and praised their demeanor and the tone of the race.
Vale has been in private practice in Monroe for 27 years. He is currently a partner in the law firm of Duxstad, Vale and Bestul. He also has been a lecturer at the UW Law School and is very active in his community, serving on the board of directors of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss ALPS playground project.
A graduate of Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Vale completed his undergraduate work in agricultural journalism at UW-Madison. He is married to Karen [Schultz] Vale, a pharmacist at Schultz Pharmacy in Monroe. The couple has three children: Erin, a freshman at UW-Madison, Dan, a high school junior, and Eric, a sixth grader.
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Judge-elect Jennifer L. Weston |
Jefferson County
Judge-elect Jennifer L. Weston
Atty. Jennifer L. Weston will succeed the retiring Judge John M. Ullsvik (see The Third Branch, winter 2009) after beating Atty. Steven J. Luchsinger. Luchsinger had vowed to take a 10-percent pay cut and begin each day in court with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Weston has served as a full-time court commissioner for Jefferson County since 2006. From 2002-06, she served as a half-time family court commissioner and a half-time guardian ad litem. In 2008, she won a contested election for Fort Atkinson Municipal Court judge. Weston also spent several years working as a family court mediator in Walworth County.
Weston grew up in Whitewater, earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from UW-Madison, and received her J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. She is married to Atty. Tod O. Daniel, who practices in Janesville. The couple has two children, Abagail, 16, and Max, 14.
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Judge-elect Chad G. Kerkman |
Kenosha County
Judge-elect Chad G. Kerkman
Atty. Chad G. Kerkman of Genoa City, second-place finisher in the primary election, beat Atty. Frederick L. Zievers in the election to fill the newly created Kenosha County Circuit Court Branch 8.
For nine years, Kerkman has been sole shareholder in Kerkman Law Offices in Twin Lakes and Kenosha. His practice has focused on criminal defense and family law matters. Prior to private practice, Kerkman spent two years as a Kenosha County prosecutor.
Kerkman is a graduate of the UW Law School and Purdue University (where he earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering). He is the husband of Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Genoa City.
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Judge-elect Jill N. Falstad |
Marathon County
Judge-elect Jill N. Falstad
Marathon County District Atty. Jill N. Falstad beat Atty. Peter C. Rotter, a criminal defense lawyer, in the race to succeed Judge Dorothy L. Bain, who resigned in 2008.
Falstad had a huge lead in the primary, taking about 50 percent of the vote to Rotter's 19 percent. There were three others – two court commissioners and a lawyer in private practice – eliminated in the primary.
Falstad was first elected district attorney in Marathon County in 1994. She has been re-elected eight times since. She began work in the office in 1989 as an assistant district attorney, having previously served as a prosecutor in Portage County and Wood County.
The Wausau Daily Herald issued a strong endorsement of Falstad, writing, "Falstad is manifestly qualified to take the judge's seat. She knows the law, is a tireless worker and has approached her job with a sense of real commitment to the people she serves -- both the victims of crimes and the public at large. She has a sharp mind and long record of making hard choices."
Falstad is a graduate of the UW Law School.
Milwaukee County
Judge Ellen R. Brostrom, Branch 6
Atty. Ellen R. Brostrom won election to the Branch 6 seat made vacant by Judge Kitty K. Brennan's appointment to the Court of Appeals. Brostrom beat Atty. Christopher R. Lipscomb, a municipal court judge, by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent.
Brostrom was sworn in on May 1 thanks to an early appointment by Gov. Jim Doyle. The governor occasionally appoints judges-elect prior to August 1 at the request of the director of state courts when there is a critical need. She was assigned to the Misdemeanor Division.
At the time of her election, Brostrom was a partner in Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren in Milwaukee. Prior to joining the firm, she worked a number of firms large and small, including her own small firm in Milwaukee. She also has prosecuted criminal cases for the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office as a public service special assistant district attorney.
In addition to her legal work, Brostrom has been an active member of her community. She is on the board of the Community Advocates Milwaukee Women's Center, on the parish council of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and is a member of the Lakefront Development Advisory Commission.
Brostrom is a graduate of the UCLA Law School. She is also the daughter of Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Patience Drake Roggensack.
Milwaukee County
Judge J. D. Watts, Branch 15
Atty. Jonathan D. "J.D." Watts came from behind to beat Atty. Daniel Gabler in the race for Branch 15. Watts was sworn in on May 1, thanks to an early appointment by Gov. Jim Doyle. Watts was assigned to the Misdemeanor Division.
Watts succeeds Judge Michael B. Brennan, who stepped down to return to private law practice.
A former Fox Point municipal judge, Watts also operated J.D. Watts Law Office prior to his election. While serving as a Milwaukee County assistant district attorney, Watts handled more than 50 jury trials. He also has served frequently as a guardian ad litem in Milwaukee Children's Court.
Watts is a native of the Milwaukee area. He earned his bachelor's degree in American history from Oberlin College and his J.D. from the UW Law School. He is the father of four adult children, Catherine, Samuel, Anne and Alex, and grandfather of Charlotte and Noah.
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Judge-elect Sandy Williams |
Ozaukee County
Judge-elect Sandy Williams
In what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cited as Ozaukee County's first contested circuit court race in 30 years, District Atty. Sandy Williams beat Family Court Commissioner Darcy McManus.
Williams succeeds Judge Joseph D. McCormack, who retired in February after 30 years on the bench (see The Third Branch, fall 2008). McCormack was the last judge in Ozaukee County to run in a contested race.
A prosecutor for her entire law career, Williams has served as the county's elected district attorney for the past 22 years, and was an assistant district attorney for three years prior to that.
Williams is a graduate of Hamline University School of Law and received her bachelor's degree in English and political science from Marquette University. She is married to Mark Williams, an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County. The couple has two children, John, 17, and Katie, 15.
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Judge-elect Gerald L. Wright |
Sawyer County
Judge-elect Gerald L. Wright
In the race to succeed Judge Norman L. Yackel, following Yackel's retirement (see The Third Branch, winter 2009), Assistant Public Defender Gerald L. "Jerry" Wright beat Atty. Thomas J. Duffy.
Wright has been an assistant state public defender since 2001. He represents clients in Sawyer, Washburn and Burnett counties. He also has been active on the Washburn County Criminal Justice Council and in the Sawyer County Drug Court program, and has served as a mediator in small claims cases in La Crosse.
A graduate of the UW Law School and Luther College, Wright was raised on a family farm in western Iowa. He lives with his wife, Laurie, in the Town of Hayward. He is an avid cyclist and cross-country skier.
Taylor County
Judge Ann N. Knox-Bauer
Judge Ann N. Knox-Bauer, appointed by Gov. Jim Doyle in 2008 to succeed Judge Gary L. Carlson, won a six-year term after beating back a challenge from Atty. William A. Grunewald.
Grunewald has practiced law in Medford for 25 years and is a part-time court commissioner.
Knox-Bauer was Taylor County family court commissioner when Doyle tapped her to replace Carlson, who retired in January 2008 after 28 years on the bench.
Wood County
Judge-elect Todd P. Wolf
In the race to replace Judge Edward F. Zappen Jr., who will retire in July after 23 years on the bench (see separate story), Wood County District Atty. Todd P. Wolf beat Marshfield Municipal Judge John A. Kruse. Wolf carried about 58 percent of the vote to Kruse's 42 percent.
Wolf has been a prosecutor in Wisconsin Rapids for more than 20 years, and is a member of the county's Criminal Justice Task Force. He is also a founding member of both the Wood County Adult Drug Treatment Court and the Marshfield Child Advocacy Center.
Wolf has been active in his community. He is a former member of the board of directors of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Wood County, a member of the Rotary Club, an instructor at Mid-State Technical College, and a coach in several sports programs, including football, soccer and baseball.
A graduate of Marquette Law School, Wood received his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from UW-Platteville.
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