Federal judge to take senior status

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The Eastern District of Wisconsin’s chief judge is planning to take senior status at the end of the year.

U.S. District Court Judge William Griesbach announced Thursday that he had submitted a letter to President Donald Trump on Jan. 22 saying he intends to move from active to senior status starting Dec. 31, when his term as chief judge ends.

Griesbach’s move to senior status would vacate his seat, allowing Trump to appoint a new judge to the seat and for the court to have additional help. Federal judges who take senior status receive the same pay as an active judge and may choose to reduce their caseload, though many choose to continue working full time.

Griesbach, who earned his degree from Marquette University Law School in 1979, has been a federal judge for more than 16 years. He was appointed by George W. Bush and confirmed in 2002. He has been chief judge for the Eastern District since 2012.

Before his time on the federal bench, Griesbach was a circuit court judge in Brown County. He was also an assistant district attorney in the same county.

Griesbach also spent five years in private practice, was a staff attorney at the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and clerked for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Bruce Beilfuss.