2020
Chief Judge Robert P. VanDeHey elected chair of Committee of Chief Judges
Madison, Wisconsin - June 26, 2020
Seventh Judicial Administrative District Chief Judge Robert P. VanDeHey, Grant County Circuit Court, today was elected chair of the Committee of Chief Judges, effective Aug. 1.
VanDeHey, who was appointed as a chief judge in 2016 after having served as a deputy chief judge, will replace outgoing chair, District Eight Chief Judge James M. Morrison, Marinette County Circuit Court.
VanDeHey was first appointed to the Grant County bench in 1998 after working as an attorney in private practice. VanDeHey has served in a variety of court-related positions, including as a member of the Juvenile Jury Instruction Committee and as a faculty member of both the Juvenile Law Institute and Wisconsin Judicial Conference. VanDeHey also previously served as a member of the Wisconsin Judicial Council and as chaired the Probate Benchbook Committee. He was selected “Judge of the Year” by the State Bar of Wisconsin in 2016.
District Seven includes Adams, Buffalo, Clark, Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Richland, Trempealeau and Vernon counties.
Morrison has served as a chief judge since 2016, including the last year as chair of the committee. Morrison serves on the executive and legislative committees of the Judicial Conference and is former chair of the Board of Bar Examiners. He previously worked as an attorney in private practice. Morrison was appointed to the Marinette County bench in 2012; elected in 2013, and re-elected in 2019.
District Eight includes Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, and Waupaca counties.
Working as a team with a deputy chief judge and a professional court administrator, a chief judge manages the flow of cases and meets several times a year with other chief judges as a committee to work on administrative issues of statewide importance. With the exception of the First Judicial Administrative District, where the chief judge is a full-time administrator, chief judges and their deputies maintain court calendars in addition to handling administrative matters.
More information about chief judges can be found here.
Contact:
Tom Sheehan
Court Information Officer
(608) 261-6640