The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that reviews contested decisions of the Wisconsin circuit courts. The Court of Appeals was created in August 1978 to alleviate the Wisconsin Supreme Court's rising number of appellate cases. Published Court of Appeals opinions are considered binding precedent until overruled by the Supreme Court; unpublished opinions are not. The Court hears most appeals in three-judge panels, but appeals of circuit court decisions in misdemeanor, small claims, and municipal ordinance cases are decided by a single judge.
Composition
The Court of Appeals comprises 16 judges elected to six-year terms in four geographic districts. Districts I and II have four judges each, three judges are chambered in District III, and five in District IV. The court is administered by a chief judge, appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, who is assisted by a deputy chief judge and a presiding judge in each district. Vacancies on the court are filled by gubernatorial appointment; following the appointment of a judge, a new election for that seat is scheduled in the next Spring election in which no other Appeals Court seat in that Appeals Court District is up for election, unless that election occurs less than five months from the date of the appointment.
Districts
- District I is chambered in Milwaukee and contains only Milwaukee County.
- District II is chambered in Waukesha and contains Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago counties.
- District III is chambered in Wausau and contains Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Forest, Iron, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vilas, and Washburn counties.
- District IV is chambered in Madison and contains Adams, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Monroe, Portage, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood counties.
Current judges
| District | Name | Born | Start | Term ends | Appointer | Law school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Joe Donald, Chief Judge | February 8, 1959 | September 4, 2019 | 2032 | Tony Evers (D) | Marquette |
| Pedro Colón, Presiding Judge | April 7, 1968 | November 20, 2023 | 2030 | Tony Evers (D) | Wisconsin | |
| Sara Geenen | 1981 or 1982 (age 44–45) | August 1, 2023 | 2029 | —N/a | Wisconsin | |
| Nathan Petrashek | 1984 (age 41–42) | April 4, 2026 | 2027 | Tony Evers (D) | Marquette | |
| II | Mark Gundrum | March 20, 1970 | November 4, 2011 | 2031 | Scott Walker (R) | Wisconsin |
| Shelley Grogan | August 14, 1967 | August 1, 2021 | 2027 | —N/a | Marquette | |
| Maria Lazar | 1964 (age 61–62) | August 1, 2022 | 2028 | —N/a | Georgetown | |
| Anthony LoCoco | 1990 (age 35–36) | August 1, 2026 | 2032 | —N/a | Harvard | |
| III | Lisa Stark, Presiding Judge | March 15, 1957 | April 23, 2013 | 2031 | Scott Walker (R) | Wisconsin |
| Thomas Hruz | November 12, 1973 | August 1, 2014 | 2028 | Scott Walker (R) | Marquette | |
| Gregory Gill | February 26, 1975 | August 1, 2021 | 2027 | —N/a | Marquette | |
| IV | Rachel Graham, Deputy Chief Judge | June 7, 1976 | July 4, 2019 | 2032 | Tony Evers (D) | Wisconsin |
| Brian Blanchard | November 7, 1958 | August 1, 2010 | 2028 | —N/a | Northwestern | |
| JoAnne Kloppenburg | September 5, 1953 | August 1, 2012 | 2030 | —N/a | Wisconsin | |
| Jennifer Nashold | 1965 (age 60–61) | August 1, 2019 | 2031 | —N/a | Wisconsin | |
| Todd Ziegler | 1969 (age 56–57) | August 1, 2026 | 2027 | Tony Evers (D) | Wisconsin |
Judges
District I
| Judge | Start year | End year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert C. Cannon | 1978 | 1981 | Presiding Judge (1978–1979) |
| John A. Decker | 1978 | 1984 | Chief Judge (1978–1983) |
| William R. Moser | 1978 | 1992 | Presiding Judge (1985–1992) Presiding Judge (1979–1983) |
| Rudolph T. Randa | 1981 | 1982 | Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus (R) Elevated to E.D. Wis. |
| Michael T. Sullivan | 1984 | 1996 | |
| Charles B. Schudson | 1992 | 2004 | |
| Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. | 1982 | 1988 | Presiding Judge (1983–1985) |
| 1992 | 2008 | Presiding Judge (1993–2007) | |
| Ralph Adam Fine | 1988 | 2014 | |
| Patricia Curley | 1996 | 2016 | Presiding Judge (2007–2016) |
| Joan Kessler | 2004 | 2020 | |
| Kitty Brennan | 2008 | 2019 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) |
| Rebecca Bradley | 2015 | 2015 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Elevated to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by Scott Walker (R) |
| William Brash | 2015 | 2023 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Chief Judge (2021–2023) Presiding Judge (2019–2021) Lost re-election |
| Timothy Dugan | 2016 | 2023 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) |
| Joe Donald | 2019 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) Presiding Judge (2021–2026) Chief Judge (2026–present) | |
| Maxine Aldridge White | 2020 | 2026 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) Chief Judge (2023–2026) |
| Sara Geenen | 2023 | ||
| Pedro Colón | 2023 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) | |
| Nathan Petrashek | 2026 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) |
District II
| Judge | Start year | End year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harold M. Bode | 1978 | 1981 | |
| Clair H. Voss | 1978 | 1983 | Presiding Judge (1978–1983) |
| Richard S. Brown | 1978 | 2015 | Chief Judge (2007–2015) Presiding Judge (1996–2001) Presiding Judge (1983–1990) |
| Burton A. Scott | 1980 | 1991 | Chief Judge (1983–1989) |
| Neal Nettesheim | 1983 | 2007 | Appointed by Tony Earl (D) Deputy Chief Judge (1998–2007) Presiding Judge (2001–2003) Presiding Judge (1990–1993) |
| Daniel P. Anderson | 1990 | 2011 | Presiding Judge (2007–2009) Presiding Judge (2003–2005) Presiding Judge (1993–1996) |
| Harry G. Snyder | 1991 | 2010 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson (R) Presiding Judge |
| Lisa S. Neubauer | 2007 | 2026 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) Chief Judge (2015–2021) Presiding Judge (2009–2015) |
| Paul F. Reilly | 2010 | 2022 | Presiding Judge (2015–2021) |
| Mark Gundrum | 2011 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Presiding Judge (2021–present) | |
| Brian Hagedorn | 2015 | 2019 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Elected to Wisconsin Supreme Court |
| Jeffrey O. Davis | 2019 | 2021 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) Lost re-election |
| Shelley Grogan | 2021 | ||
| Lori Kornblum | 2022 | 2022 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) Lost re-election |
| Maria S. Lazar | 2022 | ||
| Anthony LoCoco | 2026 |
District III
| Judge | Start year | End year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. Patrick Donlin | 1978 | 1981 | |
| John P. Foley | 1978 | 1984 | Presiding Judge (1981–1984) |
| Robert W. Dean | 1978 | 1986 | Presiding Judge (1978–1981) |
| Thomas Cane | 1981 | 2007 | Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus (R) Chief Judge (1998–2007) Deputy Chief Judge (1989–1998) Presiding Judge (1984–1998) |
| Daniel L. LaRocque | 1985 | 1997 | Appointed by Tony Earl (D) |
| Gordon Myse | 1986 | 1999 | Appointed by Tony Earl (D) Presiding Judge (1998–1999) |
| Michael W. Hoover | 1997 | 2015 | Deputy Chief Judge (2012–2015) Presiding Judge (1999–2015) |
| Gregory A. Peterson | 1999 | 2007 | Deputy Chief Judge (2007–2012) |
| Edward R. Brunner | 2007 | 2011 | |
| Mark Mangerson | 2011 | 2014 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) |
| Lisa K. Stark | 2013 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) Deputy Chief Judge (2015–present) Presiding Judge (2015–present) | |
| Thomas F. Hruz | 2014 | Appointed by Scott Walker (R) | |
| Mark Seidl | 2015 | 2021 | |
| Gregory Gill | 2021 |
District IV
| Judge | Start year | End year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martha Bablitch | 1978 | 1985 | |
| Paul C. Gartzke | 1978 | 1996 | Presiding Judge (1978–1996) |
| Charles P. Dykman | 1978 | 2010 | Presiding Judge (2009–2010) Presiding Judge (1996–2001) |
| William Eich | 1985 | 2000 | Appointed by Tony Earl (D) Chief Judge (1989–1998) |
| Robert D. Sundby | 1986 | 1996 | |
| Margaret J. Vergeront | 1994 | 2012 | Presiding Judge (2010–2011) |
| Patience D. Roggensack | 1996 | 2003 | Elected to Wisconsin Supreme Court |
| David G. Deininger | 1996 | 2007 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson (R) Presiding Judge (2003–2005) |
| Paul Lundsten | 2000 | 2019 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson (R) Presiding Judge (2017–2019) Presiding Judge (2011–2013) Presiding Judge (2005–2007) |
| Paul B. Higginbotham | 2003 | 2017 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) Presiding Judge (2007–2009) |
| Burnie Bridge | 2007 | 2010 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) |
| Gary Sherman | 2010 | 2019 | Appointed by Jim Doyle (D) |
| Brian Blanchard | 2010 | Presiding Judge (2021–present) Presiding Judge (2013–2015) | |
| JoAnne Kloppenburg | 2012 | Presiding Judge (2015–2017) | |
| Michael R. Fitzpatrick | 2017 | 2023 | Presiding Judge (2019–2021) |
| Rachel A. Graham | 2019 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) | |
| Jennifer E. Nashold | 2019 | ||
| Chris Taylor | 2023 | 2026 | Elected to Wisconsin Supreme Court |
| Todd Ziegler | 2026 | Appointed by Tony Evers (D) |
