Third Branch eNews

Judge Wynne Laufenberg, Racine County Circuit Court, will replace outgoing Chief Judge Jason A. Rossell, who will have exhausted his eligibility as chief judge, a position he has held since 2017. Laufenberg was appointed to the bench in 2016, elected in 2018, and re-elected in 2024.

Judge John Anderson, Bayfield County Circuit Court, has been appointed as the chief judge in District 10. He replaces outgoing Chief Judge Maureen D. Boyle, Barron County Circuit Court, who was first appointed chief judge in 2018 and re-appointed in 2020 and 2022. Anderson was first elected to the bench in 2003 and re-elected in 2009, 2015, and 2021. Anderson also received the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Judge of the Year award in 2020.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court announced the re-appointment of District One Court of Appeals Judge Maxine A. White as chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. She previously filled the unexpired term of former chief Judge William Brash III. Her three-year appointment term expires on July 31, 2027.

White has more than 30 years of experience as a Wisconsin judge. She has served on the Court of Appeals since 2020, when she was appointed by Gov. Evers. White previously served as the chief judge of the First Judicial Administrative District (Milwaukee County), first appointed in 2015 and then re-appointed to the position in 2017. She also served as chair of the Committee of Chief Judges for a one-year term, ending in 2018.

Chief Judge Guy D. Dutcher, Waushara County Circuit, has been re-appointed for another two years. Dutcher was first elected to the circuit court in 2005 and has been re-elected twice. He served as Waushara County District Attorney before taking the bench.

Chief Judge Carrie A. Schneider, Outagamie County Circuit Court, will serve a second term as the chief judge in District Eight. Schneider was first appointed to the bench in 2017, was elected in 2018, and re-elected in 2024. Schneider previously served as Outagamie County District Attorney.

Judge Ann N. Knox-Bauer, Taylor County Circuit Court, has been re-appointed as the chief judge in District Nine after previously being named to the position in 2022. Knox-Bauer was first appointed to the circuit court in 2008. She previously served as a court commissioner and family court commissioner in Taylor County.