Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

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Wisconsin Court of Appeals districts

District IV of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals covers 24 counties in southwestern and central Wisconsin.[1]

Jurisdiction

The courts jurisdiction includes: 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. The district is headquartered in Madison.[1]

Published opinions of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals can be found here.
 
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV
Intermediate Appellate Courts Seal-template.png
Court information
Judges:   5
Founded:   1978
Salary:  Associates: $184,995[2]
Judicial selection
Method:   Nonpartisan election of judges
Term:   6 years

Judges

Judge Tenure Appointed By

Jennifer Nashold

August 1, 2019 - Present

Elected

Brian Blanchard

August 1, 2010 - Present

Elected

Rachel Graham

July 4, 2019 - Present

Tony Evers

JoAnne Kloppenburg

August 1, 2012 - Present

Elected

Chris Taylor

August 1, 2023 - Present

Elected

Salary

See also: Wisconsin court salaries and budgets

In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $184,995, according to the National Center for State Courts.[3]

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Wisconsin

The 16 judges on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals are elected in nonpartisan elections. Judges serve six-year terms, and to remain on the court, they must run for re-election after their term expires.[4][5]

Qualifications

To serve on the court of appeals, a judge must be:

  • a qualified elector of Wisconsin;
  • licensed to practice law in Wisconsin for a minimum of five years immediately prior to election or appointment; and
  • under the age of 70.[6]

Chief judge

The Wisconsin Supreme Court appoints the chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. The chief judge serves a three-year term.[4] Each of the four districts of the court of appeals is managed by a presiding judge, appointed by the chief judge of the court of appeals. The presiding judges serve two-year terms.[7][8]

Vacancies

In the event of a vacancy on the court, the governor has the power and duty to appoint an individual to the vacancy. The governor screens judicial applicants using an advisory council on judicial selection. The council recommends three to five candidates to the governor, although the governor is not bound by their recommendations. The appointed judge must then stand for election in the first subsequent year in which no other judge's term expires.[5][4]

Elections

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2029


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2028


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2026


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2025

General election

General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Incumbent Jennifer Nashold (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 1, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Jennifer Nashold (Nonpartisan)
 
99.1
 
500,591
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9%
 
4,491

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 505,082
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for February 18, 2025, was canceled. Incumbent Jennifer Nashold (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Incumbent JoAnne Kloppenburg (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 2, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of JoAnne Kloppenburg
JoAnne Kloppenburg (Nonpartisan)
 
98.9
 
260,384
  Other/Write-in votes
 
1.1%
 
2,806

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 263,190
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for February 20, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent JoAnne Kloppenburg (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2023

General election

General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Chris Taylor (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 4, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor (Nonpartisan)
 
99.0
 
412,491
  Other/Write-in votes
 
1.0%
 
4,362

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 416,853
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for February 21, 2023, was canceled. Chris Taylor (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

General election

General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Incumbent Brian Blanchard (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 5, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Brian Blanchard
Brian Blanchard (Nonpartisan)
 
99.1
 
198,182
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9%
 
1,772

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 199,954
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for February 15, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Brian Blanchard (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

General election

General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Incumbent Rachel Graham (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 7, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rachel Graham
Rachel Graham (Nonpartisan)
 
99.4
 
341,286
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6%
 
1,996

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 343,282
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for February 18, 2020, was canceled.

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2019

General election

General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Jennifer Nashold (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 2, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Jennifer Nashold (Nonpartisan)
 
99.0
 
104,496
  Other/Write-in votes
 
1.0%
 
1,051

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 105,5470
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for February 19, 2019, was canceled.

General election

General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Incumbent JoAnne Kloppenburg (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 3, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of JoAnne Kloppenburg
JoAnne Kloppenburg (Nonpartisan)
 
98.7
 
239,019
  Other/Write-in votes
 
1.3%
 
3,185

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 242,204
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Previous election results


Ethics

The Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Wisconsin. It consists of seven Supreme Court Rules:

  • Rule 60.01: Definitions.
  • Rule 60.02: A judge shall uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary.
  • Rule 60.03: A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all of the judge's activities.
  • Rule 60.04: A judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially and diligently.
  • Rule 60.05: A judge shall so conduct the judge's extra-judicial activities as to minimize the risk of conflict with judicial obligations.
  • Rule 60.06: A judge or judicial candidate shall refrain from inappropriate political activity.
  • Rule 60.07: Applicability.[10]

The full text of the Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Court of Appeals judges in Wisconsin may be removed in one of four ways:

  • By the Supreme Court, on the recommendation of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission.
  • By a two-thirds vote of the Senate, upon impeachment by a majority vote of the Assembly.
  • By the governor, upon address of both houses of the legislature with concurrence of two thirds of each house.
  • By the voters through a recall election.


Contact

Address:
10 E Doty St Ste 700
Madison, WI 53703-3397


Fax: (608) 267-0432

Phone:

State profile

Demographic data for Wisconsin
 WisconsinU.S.
Total population:5,767,891316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):54,1583,531,905
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.[11]

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

See also

Wisconsin Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Court of Appeals
Wisconsin Supreme Court
Elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017
Gubernatorial appointments
Judicial selection in Wisconsin
Federal courts
State courts
Local courts

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals Directory"
  2. ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
  3. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "2025 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 8, 2025
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 12, 2021
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wisconsin Constitution," accessed September 19, 2014 (Article VII, Section 4: pg.10)
  6. ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wisconsin Constitution," accessed September 19, 2014 (Article VII, Section 24: pg.11)
  7. ↑ Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals"
  8. ↑ Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals: Judges," accessed October 27, 2015
  9. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Ballot Access Checklist For 2015 Judicial Candidates," accessed December 18, 2014
  10. ↑ Wisconsin Court System, "SCR Chapter 60: Code of Judicial Conduct," amended November 20, 1979
  11. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.


v • e
State intermediate appellate courts
Webbanner1.jpg

Wisconsin courts

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

v • e
John Doe investigations related to Scott Walker
Background
Lawsuits
State court lawsuits: • Three Unnamed Petitioners v. Gregory A. Peterson • Eric O'Keefe, et al. vs. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, et al. • Two Unnamed Petitioners v. Gregory A. Peterson • Christopher Brekken v. Bruce J. Landgraf • Christopher L. Wiesmueller v. Neal Nettesheim • Francis D. Schmitz v. Gregory A. Peterson • Cynthia Archer v. John Chisholm, et. al. • Federal court lawsuits: • Eric O'Keefe and Wisconsin Club for Growth, Inc. v. Francis Schmitz, et. al. • Relevant rulings: • McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission • Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission • Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. Thomas Barland • Citizens for Responsible Government v. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, et. al. • Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. • Wisconsin Coalition for Voter Participation Inc., et. al. v. State of Wisconsin Elections Board, et. al.
Prosecutors
Special prosecutor: • Francis Schmitz • Personnel in Milwaukee County DA's Office: • John Chisholm • Bruce Landgraf • David Budde • David Robles • Robert Stelter • District attorneys in the five John Doe counties • John Chisholm • Ismael Ozanne • Jane Kohlwey • Larry Nelson • Kurt Klomberg
Courts
Judges
Attorneys
Attorneys of JD targets: • Steven Biskupic • Todd Graves • Michael Bresnick • Edward Meyers • Dean Strang • Matthew O'Neill • David Rivkin • Andrew Grossman • Attorneys of JD prosecutors and judges: • Patrick Fiedler • Samuel Leib • Randall Crocker • Douglas Knott • Joseph M. Russell
Supporters of JD investigations
Media
Elected Officials
Government Accountability Board
• Wisconsin Government Accountability Board • Current board members: • Gerald Nichol • Timothy Vocke • Thomas Cane • Harold Froehlich • John Franke • Elsa Lamelas • Past board members: • Thomas Barland • Michael Brennan • Staff: • Kevin Kennedy • Dean Nickel • Jonathan Becker • Shane Falk • Nathan Judnic • Elizabeth Blackwood • J. Douglas Haag • Vendors: • Digital Intelligence
Targets of John Doe I
Prosecuted: • Kelly Rindfleisch • Darlene Wink • Kevin Kavanaugh • Tim Russell • Brian Pierick • Wiliam Gardner • Investigated: • Friends of Scott Walker • Christopher Wiesmueller • John Hiller • Jim Villa • Cindy Archer • Jailed by prosecutors/No charges filed: • Christopher Brekken • Andrew P. Jensen, Jr. • Home or office raided: •Kelly Rindfleisch • Cindy Archer • Darlene Wink • Tim Russell • Brian Pierick • Christopher Wiesmueller • Compelled to testify: • R.J. Johnson
Targets of John Doe II
Individuals: • Kelly Rindfleisch • Eric O'Keefe • R.J. Johnson • Deborah Jordahl • Jed Sanborn • Carol Valley • William Eisner • Keith Gilkes • Sean Hannity • Charlie Sykes • Organizations: • Wisconsin Club for Growth • Club for Growth • Wisconsin Right to Life • United Sportsmen of Wisconsin • Coalition Partners, LLC • R.J. Johnson and Associates • Nonbox • TenCAPITOL • Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce • American Federation for Children • Americans for Prosperity • Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin • Right Direction Wisconsin PAC • Republican State Leadership Committee • Committee to Elect a Republican Senate • Wisconsin Recall Action Fund • Jobs First Coalition • Ending Spending Action Fund • Mary Stitt & Associates • Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce • League of American Voters • Citizens for a Strong America • Republican Party of Wisconsin • Republican Governors Association • American Crossroads • Wisconsin Family Action
Other
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