Rhonda L. Lanford
Rhonda L. Lanford is a judge for Branch 16 of the Dane County Circuit Court in Wisconsin. She assumed office on August 1, 2013. Her current term ends on August 1, 2031.
Lanford ran for re-election for the Branch 16 judge of the Dane County Circuit Court in Wisconsin. She won in the general election on April 1, 2025.
Biography
Education
Lanford earned her B.A. cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1988 and her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1996.[1]
Career
- 2013-present: Judge, Dane County Circuit Court
- 2001-2013: Adjunct Faculty, University of Wisconsin Law School
- 1997-2013: Shareholder, Habush Habush & Rottier S.C.
- 1995-1997: Associate and Summer Associate, LaFollette & Sinykin[1]
Awards and associations
- 2012 Superlawyer by Wisconsin Law & Politics
- 2011 Leader in the Law by the Wisconsin Law Journal
- 2011 Super Lawyer by Wisconsin Law & Politics; Top 25 Lawyer in Madison, Wisconsin
- 2010 Super Lawyer by Wisconsin Law & Politics
- 2009 Super Lawyer by Wisconsin Law & Politics
- 2003 Top Lawyer in Madison by Madison Magazine
- Board Member, Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund
- Supplemental Court Commissioner, Dane County Branch 11
- Wisconsin Law Review Alumni Association
- American Association for Justice (former Wisconsin Law School Ambassador)
- Wisconsin Association for Justice[1]
Elections
2025
See also: Municipal elections in Dane County, Wisconsin (2025)
General election
General election for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 16
Incumbent Rhonda L. Lanford won election in the general election for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 16 on April 1, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rhonda L. Lanford (Nonpartisan) | 99.0 | 191,580 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.0 | 2,028 | ||
| Total votes: 193,608 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Rhonda L. Lanford advanced from the primary for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 16.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lanford in this election.
2019
See also: Municipal elections in Dane County, Wisconsin (2019)
General election
General election for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 16
Incumbent Rhonda L. Lanford won election in the general election for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 16 on April 2, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rhonda L. Lanford (Nonpartisan) | 99.0 | 103,480 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.0 | 1,017 | ||
| Total votes: 104,497 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2013
- See also: Wisconsin judicial elections, 2013
Lanford defeated incumbent Judge Rebecca Rapp St. John in the general election on April 2, 2013.[2][3][4][5]
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Rhonda L. Lanford did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy cases
- See also: Douglas La Follette lawsuit
In July 2015, Lanford was asked to hear a suit brought by Wisconsin Secretary of State Douglas La Follette (D) against Gov. Scott Walker (R). The suit was filed after Walker signed a budget that cut the secretary of state's budget by nearly half, and relocated his office to the basement of the capitol building.[6][7]
She declined to issue a temporary injunction to stop the budget cuts on September 4, 2015, after ruling La Follette had not demonstrated his lawsuit against Walker was likely to succeed. Lanford's ruling did not dismiss La Follette's claim that Walker's budget had infringed on La Follette's ability to carry out his constitutionally-mandated responsibilities outright. Instead, her 17-page ruling noted that the evidence before her court at the time of the ruling was not sufficient to substantiate La Follette's claim.[8]
See also
2025 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rhonda L. Lanford Campaign Page - Resume (dead link)
- ↑ WI Government Accountability Board, "Certified Canvass Results for 2013 Spring Election" (dead link)
- ↑ WMTV, "Unofficial Spring Election Results 2013," April 2, 2013
- ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "Rhonda Lanford ousts Walker-appointed candidate in Dane County court race," April 3, 2013
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board - Candidates on Ballot by Election, April 2nd Election (dead link)
- ↑ Associated Press, Star Tribune, "Longtime Wisconsin secretary of state sues Walker over budget cuts to his office," July 14, 2015
- ↑ Governing, "Wisconsin Secretary of State Sues Scott Walker Over Budget," July 15, 2015
- ↑ 12 WISN, "Judge won't block budget cuts to secretary of state's office," September 7, 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
