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Anna Becker
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Anna Becker is judge for the Jackson County Circuit Court in Wisconsin. She was appointed to the court by Governor Scott Walker in August 2014.[1] She was elected to a full term on the court in 2015, expiring in 2021.[2]
Education
Becker earned a B.A. in architecture, with a minor in criminal justice, from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 1989, and a J.D. from the Hamline School of Law in 1992.[1][3]
Career
Becker was an associate attorney with Sherman, Olsher and the Sherman Law Office until 1999, when she was elected district attorney for Jackson County. She served in that position for four terms. Prior to her judicial appointment, Becker was a commissioner for the family court in Jackson County.[3]
Elections
2015
- See also: Wisconsin judicial elections, 2015
| Primary election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Anna Becker Incumbent |
38.8% | 1,018 |
| Daniel Diehn |
30.8% | 809 |
| Robyn Matousek | 11.6% | 305 |
| Mark A. Radcliffe | 8.9% | 233 |
| James C. Ritland | 3.2% | 85 |
| Michelle Greendeer | 6.7% | 175 |
| Total Votes | 2,625 | |
| General election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Anna Becker Incumbent |
52.7% | 2,426 |
| Daniel Diehn | 47.3% | 2,179 |
| Total Votes | 4,605 | |
Noteworthy events
Suspension of treatment courts
In the autumn of 2014, Judge Becker suspended the county’s treatment court program to treat alcohol- and drug-related offenders. Her decision resurfaced in the media during her campaign for election in 2015.[6] West Central Wisconsin Behavioral Health had ceased to offer health services for alcohol and drug addiction, leaving Jackson County’s treatment courts without a health service provider. Becker said that although a focus on addiction and mental health was necessary for the county, it was fruitless to run the treatment court program without a treatment provider.[7]
The treatment court program began in 2008, with the help of former Judge Thomas Lister, who retired in August 2014. He criticized Becker’s decision in an opinion piece in the Jackson County Chronicle.
| “ | Information provided to me suggests that Judge Becker believes the level of services which my specialty courts were designed to provide go well beyond the scope of the judiciary, are akin to providing social services, are unaffordable and need to be "honed back significantly." Judge Becker is the judge and that is her decision to make, but we saved and re-built a lot of lives.[8] | ” |
| —Thomas Lister[9] | ||
On February 9, Becker spoke in front of the county’s Executive and Finance committee following Lister’s letter on the issue. Becker clarified that the treatment courts had not been permanently removed. She said that the treatment program had increased beyond what the court could handle and had deviated from its original mission.
| “ | I remain hopeful that we will locate consistently available and affordable treatment resources so that we can resume our mission, albeit on a smaller scale.[8] | ” |
| —Judge Anna Becker[10] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Anna Becker Jackson County Court. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- LaCrosse Tribune, "Walker appoints new Jackson County judge," August 29, 2014
- Vote Anna Becker for Jackson County Circuit Court Judge campaign website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 LaCrosse Tribune, "Walker appoints new Jackson County judge," August 29, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates Registered 2015 Spring Election," January 8, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Vote Anna Becker for Jackson County Circuit Court Judge campaign website, "Who is Anna Becker?" accessed January 13, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2015 Spring Primary and Senate District 20 Primary Results"
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2015 Spring Election Results"
- ↑ La Crosse Tribune, "Six on ballot in Jackson County judge race," February 15, 2015
- ↑ La Crosse Tribune, "Jackson County’s treatment court program on hold," February 1, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jackson County Chronicle, "County’s treatment court needs to be handled properly," February 4, 2015
- ↑ Jackson County Chronicle, "Treatment court concerns spark controversy," February 11, 2015
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin
State courts:
Wisconsin Supreme Court • Wisconsin Court of Appeals • Wisconsin Circuit Courts • Wisconsin Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Wisconsin • Wisconsin judicial elections • Judicial selection in Wisconsin
