Obituary - David R. Schanker, Clerk of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals

Madison, Wisconsin - July 8, 2010

Schanker joined the Wisconsin court system in 2007 after seven years as Deputy Clerk of the Indiana Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court. He earned a law degree at Indiana University and worked in private practice for four years in Indiana. Before pursuing a law degree, he worked in theater and film. Schanker grew up in New Jersey and lived in New York City for 15 years.

Schanker will be sorely missed by his friends and colleagues in the Wisconsin court system, said Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson. “David was not only an exceptionally skilled clerk, but a talented author and playwright. Many people, both inside and outside the court system, benefited from and appreciated his many talents,” Abrahamson said.

Schanker authored several short stories, two legal-themed novels, A Criminal Appeal (St. Martin.s Minotaur, 1998) and Natural Law (St. Martin.s Minotaur, 2001). More recently, he wrote Kiritsis, a play performed by the Forward Theatre Company in Madison. 

In 2009, Schanker served as a prestigious Toll Fellow, a program that recognizes emerging state leaders from across the nation. Justice David T. Prosser, who endorsed Schanker’s nomination as a Toll Fellow, said Schanker provided valuable insight to the Supreme Court in analyzing pending rules petitions.

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