Third Branch eNews

After 12 years on the Branch 1 bench, Rusk County Circuit Court Judge Steven P. Anderson will retire on July 31.

Anderson was first elected in 2010, and reelected in 2016. He had previously served as an assistant district attorney for Rusk County and corporation counsel for Taylor County. During his time on the circuit court bench, Anderson has also volunteered in his community. In 2015, he was awarded the Shining Star Individual Volunteer Award by the Ladysmith Care Community for his involvement with the residents of assisted living facilities. Anderson has brought speakers in to present to the residents on various topics and invited residents to observe proceedings in his courtroom.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn, who has served on the Branch 3 bench since first being elected in 2016, is retiring July 31. Bailey-Rihn said she plans to spend more time traveling, running, and birding in her retirement. She also hopes to stay connected to the judicial system through mediation, arbitration and trial consulting. “Maybe I will finally finish that mystery I started,” she added.

Bailey-Rihn said one of the biggest challenges she faced as a new judge was handling such a wide variety of cases. She suggests that new judges observe other judges, ask for advice, research the law, and ask questions of lawyers.

Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Judge Paul Czisny chose not to seek election to the Branch 5 bench. He was appointed last year by Gov. Tony Evers to fill the vacancy created by Judge Robert Wirtz’s retirement.

Czisny previously worked in private practice and as an assistant state public defender.

Portage County Circuit Court Judge Thomas B. Eagon retired from the Branch 1 bench on July 3. Eagon was first elected in 2012 and reelected in 2018.

Before taking the bench, Eagon had served as district attorney and assistant district attorney for Portage County and had worked in private practice. He has served as a member of the Criminal Jury Instruction Committee and the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation (WisTAF).

In his retirement letter to Gov. Tony Evers, Eaton said he was grateful for the public support he and the justice system received during his tenure.

“For the past three decades I have been greatly impressed with the quality, dedication, and work ethic of Wisconsin’s public servants throughout the state,” Eagon wrote.

Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Branch 2 Judge Peter Grimm, who first took the bench in 1991, will retire on July 31.

Grimm has served as chair of the Fond du Lac County Security Committee, as a moderator of the Fond du Lac Bar Association Constitution Forums, and as a member of the Fond du Lac County Drug Court Committee. He also founded the Fond du Lac County OWI Victim Impact Panel. During his retirement, Grimm said he plans to take advantage of his son’s career as a pilot to enjoy some traveling, as well as work on gardening and landscaping. Grimm said he will miss the collegiality of his “work family,” but plans to connect with other retired judges for lunch when possible.

Chief Judge Gregory B. Huber, Marathon County Circuit Court, will retire at the end of his circuit court term on July 31. Huber was first elected in 2004, and reelected in 2010 and 2016. Huber was appointed District Nine chief judge in 2016 and became chair of the committee of chief judges in 2021.

During his time as a chief judge, Huber worked to advance legislation that would become 2019 Act 184. The Act authorized 12 new circuit court judgeships over several years to help address identified judicial need.

Huber previously served as a deputy chief judge, a member of the Judicial Conference Legislative Committee and as the co-chair of the Ninth District Pro Se Committee. Prior to his election to the bench, Huber served as a state representative for the 85th Assembly District from 1989 to 2004.

He had also previously served as an assistant district attorney for Marathon County. Huber has also served as the president of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Board of Curators.

Chief Judge Barbara Hart Key, Winnebago County Circuit Court, who was first elected in 1998, will retire at the end of her current term on July 31.

Key has served as the chief judge of the Fourth Judicial District since 2017 and previously served as the deputy chief judge. She has also served as an associate dean of the Wisconsin Judicial College, as a member of the Criminal Benchbook Committee and on the Committee to Improve Interpretation and Translation.

“I would like to think I would be considered a judge who was fair and did her part assisting the Wisconsin judicial system as a whole,” Key said. She advised new judges taking the bench to “be grateful every day (even the truly challenging ones) for this incredible position you have been elected or appointed to serve in.”

Key said the biggest challenge faced by the courts during her time on the bench was trying to keep courts open and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among activities in her retirement, Key said she plans to travel more with her husband.

On July 31, Iowa County Circuit Court Judge Margaret M. Koehler will retire after six years on the bench.

Koehler was first elected in 2016 but appointed a month early by then-Gov. Scott Walker to fill the vacancy created by the death of the late Iowa County Circuit Court Judge William Dyke. Before taking the bench, Koehler worked in private practice. She was also a teacher for the Mineral Point School District prior to receiving her law degree from UW Law School.

Koehler’s father, James P. Fiedler, had also served as the Iowa County Circuit Court judge.

Washington County Circuit Court Judge James G. Pouros retired from the Branch 1 bench on June 3. Pouros was first appointed by then-Gov. Jim Doyle in 2010, elected in 2011 and re-elected 2017. He had previously worked in private practice and served in the U.S. Army.

While working in private practice, Pouros was on the Office of Lawyer Regulation’s Special Preliminary Review Panel.

After 13 years on the Branch 25 bench, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Stephanie G. Rothstein will retire at the end of her term on July 31. Rothstein was first appointed by then-Gov. Jim Doyle in 2009, and elected in 2010 and 2016.

Before taking the bench, Rothstein served as an assistant district attorney for Milwaukee County and a special assistant U.S. attorney. She has been a member of the Milwaukee Bar Association, Seventh Circuit Bar Association, Wisconsin Bar Association, Association of Women Lawyers, and the Committee to Improve Interpreting and Translation. She has also served on the board of the Milwaukee Trial Judges Association and State Bar Government Lawyers Division.

Rothstein said one of the biggest challenges of her judicial career was working to avoid bringing the stress and worries of the job home with her.

“These days, with the remote electronic options that we have, often one has difficulty ‘unplugging,’ in order to give your mind a rest. The work is always there,” she said. She encouraged new judges to maintain a healthy work and personal life balance.

Rothstein said that she is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, children and grandchildren after she retires.

Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Jay R. Tlusty, who was first elected to the Branch 1 bench in 2004, will retire July 31.

Tlusty has served as the deputy chief judge for District 9 since 2019. He has also served as a judicial member of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP), and as a member of the District Nine Rules Committee and on the Lincoln County Teen Court.

During his retirement, Tlusty said he plans to do some mediation and reserve judge work. In addition to traveling to see their children, the two baseball fans plan to visit as many of the 30 major league baseball stadiums as possible.

Tlusty said the past few years of his 18-year judicial career have been the most challenging, due to the COVID pandemic.

He advises new judges to make detailed findings of fact for the record when making a decision, educate the litigants in small claims matters on the burden of proof and a judge’s role in applying the law to the facts of the case, and to be respectful of the litigants. “For some litigants their case may be the one and only time they use the judicial system,” he added.

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Third Branch eNews is an online monthly newsletter of the Director of State Courts Office. If you are interested in contributing an article about your department’s programs or accomplishments, contact your department head. Information about judicial retirements and judicial obituaries may be submitted to: Sara.Foster@wicourts.gov