Mark Nielsen
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Mark Nielsen is a judge for the Racine County Circuit Court in Wisconsin.[1] Nielsen won the seat in the general election on April 5, 2016.
Biography
Nielsen earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He has been an attorney with Schwartz, Tofte & Nielsen, Ltd. since 1982. Nielsen is a circuit court commissioner for Racine County and a municipal judge for the City of Racine.[2]
Campaign themes
2016
Nielsen participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of local judicial candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what non-judicial legal experience qualifies him to be a judge, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I have 35 years of experience as a trial attorney, handling virtually every kind of matter. I have litigated between 150-200 jury trials and countless other hearings. I teach evidence and procedure to attorneys and judges, and have done so for over 20 years. I do the annual presentation on evidence for the municipal judges association.trial seminar for the past five years. I have served as chair of the ethics committee for the Supreme Court for this district and before that in the same position for the State Criminal Defense Attorneys association.[3][4] | ” |
When asked why he was running for this particular court seat, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | It is important who our judges are. I believe that my legal experience - as an attorney and a magistrate - combined with my life lived for 60 years in the Racine County community, best qualify me to serve the County in this role. On a personal note, the job of being a judge is immensely satisfying. It offers a chance to practice law at a high level while accomplishing some real good for the community.[3][4] | ” |
When asked to identify one judge, past or present, who he admires, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | It's about a ten-way tie. I think Steve Simanek taught me the most about how a judge should wield power, which is to say with humility.[3][4] | ” |
When asked about his primary concern regarding today's judicial system in his state, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | We have a real need to address the Heroin problem in this part of the state. I would like to see an expansion in the application of the drug courts concept, which brings a multi-disciplinary approach to each case. It is a much more effective investment of our tax dollars and time than the traditional approach.[3][4] | ” |
Additional themes
Nielsen's campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:
| “ |
I have no "program". The last thing you want from that person on the bench is an agenda. The first duty of a judge is to faithfully apply the law as it is handed to him by the State Legislature and the Supreme Court. As Chief Justice Roberts said "A judge should be like an umpire, calling balls and strikes". There are important issues in this campaign, but those issues concern the experience and ability of the candidates. In a recent survey of attorneys, 85% said that only those with substantial courtroom experience should be chosen as judges. (Curran, "Choosing Judges with Courtroom Experience", 2016 Wisconsin Lawyer). The reason is that in Wisconsin we call on trial judges to decide issues at the time they come up. It helps to have "been there, done that". I have 35 years of experience as a trial attorney and ten years as a trial court judge. I've served this county as an Assistant District Attorney, Circuit Court Commissioner, and as Chair of the Supreme Court Ethics Committee. I have handled roughly 170 jury trials and countless contested pretrial, discovery, and administrative hearings. I teach evidence and procedure to other trial attorneys and judges. I believe this level of experience would be valuable for any judge to have attained. A judge should be grounded in the community he or she seeks to serve. I have lived in Racine Couty all my life. I was born here, educated here, and returned here after law school. I went on to establish my legal practice and raise my daughters here. It's where I have done my professional and personal volunteering. To know the values of your community through first hand experience is unmatchable. A judge should have proven legal ability which merits the confidence of the public and the legal community. I received my legal training at Harvard Law School and learned to try cases as a prosecutor under then District Attorney Dennis Barry, going on to practice with and against the trial bar of Racine. I am proud to have earned a perfect 5.0 rating in legal ability and ethics from the Martindale Hubbell peer ratings agency. More than any of that, I am proud to have earned a reputation as a strong legal scholar, hard working lawyer, and a fair man among my colleagues and neighbors. [4] |
” |
| —Mark Nielsen (2016), [5] | ||
Elections
2016
Wisconsin held general elections for local judicial offices on April 5, 2016. A primary election took place on February 16, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was January 5, 2016. Mark Nielsen defeated Joseph Seifert in the Racine County Circuit Court general election for Branch 4.[1]
| Racine County Circuit Court (Branch 4), General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mark Nielsen |
67.77% | 16,321 |
| Joseph Seifert | 32.23% | 7,763 |
| Total Votes | 24,084 | |
| Source: Racine County Elections, "Individual Results," accessed April 5, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
The 241 judges of the Wisconsin Circuit Courts are elected in nonpartisan elections to six-year terms. All judges must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving after their term expires.[6]
The chief judge of each circuit court is chosen by the state supreme court to serve a two-year term.[6]
Qualifications
To serve on the circuit courts, a judge must be:[6]
- a qualified elector in the state;
- a qualified elector of his or her circuit (for circuit judges); and
- licensed to practice law in the state for at least five years.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates Registered by Office," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Mark Nielsen for Circuit Court Judge," "Mark's Bio," accessed March 6, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ballotpedia's local judicial candidate survey, 2016, "Mark Nielsen's Responses," February 9, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Mark Nielsen for Circuit Court Judge, "Platform," accessed March 6, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Wisconsin," archived October 3, 2014
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
