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Judges appointed by Scott Walker
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This page lists judges appointed by Scott Walker (R) during his term as Governor of Wisconsin. As of today, the total number of Walker appointees was 73. For the full profile of Walker, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Wisconsin judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide a comprehensive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Walker.
Appointment process
In Wisconsin, the governor makes a judicial appointment to fill a vacancy. The Advisory Council on Judicial Selection recommends candidates, but the governor is not required to choose one of them. After being appointed, the justice runs for election to the seat in the next spring election. However, if a supreme court appointee is up for election, she or he can only run if another justice is not already.[1][2]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Wisconsin Supreme Court |
October 12, 2015 - Present |
|
|
Wisconsin Supreme Court |
2016 - August 1, 2020 |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I |
December 11, 2015 - July 31, 2023 |
|
|
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I |
December 11, 2016 - November 18, 2023 |
|
|
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II |
November 30, 2011 - Present |
|
|
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II |
2015 - July 31, 2019 |
|
|
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III |
August 1, 2014 - Present |
|
|
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III |
April 23, 2013 - Present |
|
|
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Barron County Circuit Court |
||
|
Brown County Circuit Court |
||
|
Brown County Circuit Court |
||
|
Calumet County Circuit Court |
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|
Chippewa County Circuit Court |
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|
Dane County Circuit Court |
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|
Dane County Circuit Court |
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|
Dane County Circuit Court |
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|
Dane County Circuit Court |
||
|
Dane County Circuit Court Branch 8 |
||
|
Dodge County Circuit Court |
||
|
Door County Circuit Court |
||
|
Eau Claire County Circuit Court |
||
|
Eau Claire County Circuit Court |
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|
Eau Claire County Circuit Court |
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|
Eau Claire County Circuit Court |
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Jackson County Circuit Court |
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Jefferson County Circuit Court |
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|
Jefferson County Circuit Court |
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Kenosha County Circuit Court |
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|
Kenosha County Circuit Court |
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|
Kenosha County Circuit Court |
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|
La Crosse County Circuit Court |
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Manitowoc County Circuit Court |
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Marathon County Circuit Court |
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|
Marathon County Circuit Court |
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|
Marathon County Circuit Court |
||
|
Marinette County Circuit Court |
||
|
Menominee/Shawano Counties Circuit Court |
||
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court |
||
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court |
||
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court |
||
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 20 |
||
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 21 |
2016 - Present |
|
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 29 |
2018 - August 1, 2020 |
|
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 36 |
2018 - Present |
|
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 37 |
2014 - Present |
|
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 4 |
2016 - Present |
|
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 41 |
2018 - December 31, 2023 |
|
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 5 |
2018 - August 1, 2020 |
|
|
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 7 |
2013 - Present |
|
|
Outagamie County Circuit Court |
2011 - 2021 |
|
|
Outagamie County Circuit Court |
||
|
Outagamie County Circuit Court |
||
|
Polk County Circuit Court |
||
|
Polk County Circuit Court |
||
|
Portage County Circuit Court |
||
|
Racine County Circuit Court |
||
|
Racine County Circuit Court |
2019 - Present |
|
|
Racine County Circuit Court |
2018 - Present |
|
|
Racine County Circuit Court |
||
|
Richland County Circuit Court |
||
|
Rock County Circuit Court |
||
|
Sauk County Circuit Court |
2015 - Present |
|
|
Sheboygan County Circuit Court |
||
|
Sheboygan County Circuit Court |
||
|
St. Croix County Circuit Court |
||
|
Trempealeau County Circuit Court |
||
|
Walworth County Circuit Court |
||
|
Waukesha County Circuit Court |
||
|
Waukesha County Circuit Court |
January 7, 2019 - Present |
|
|
Waukesha County Circuit Court |
||
|
Waupaca County Circuit Court |
||
|
Wood County Circuit Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Wisconsin
| Judicial selection in Wisconsin | |
 | |
| Wisconsin Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 10 years |
| Wisconsin Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Wisconsin Circuit Courts | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Wisconsin, including:
As of April 2025, the selection of state court judges in Wisconsin occurred through nonpartisan elections. At the end of each judge's term, he or she must run for re-election to remain on the court.[3]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[4] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[5] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[6] | 1[7] | 17[8] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Wisconsin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 5,767,891 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 54,158 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 86.5% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 6.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 6.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,357 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wisconsin. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Wisconsin
Wisconsin voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 23 are located in Wisconsin, accounting for 11.17 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Wisconsin had 21 Retained Pivot Counties and two Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 11.60 and 8.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Wisconsin coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Wisconsin
- United States congressional delegations from Wisconsin
- Public policy in Wisconsin
- Endorsers in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Wisconsin," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "Walker's approach to the judiciary," September 21, 2013
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Wisconsin," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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
