Dries appointed as Eastern District magistrate judge

Stephen Caffrey Dries is the newest magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Chief Judge Pamela Pepper announced Dries’ appointment on Tuesday. She swore him in during a short ceremony on the same day, which was broadcast to Dries’ family, friends and colleagues.

Dries has been serving as a clerk of court for the Eastern District for the past three years. Before that, he held judicial clerkships for Diane Sykes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and William Griesbach of the Eastern District.

Pepper said the court looks forward to having someone with Dries’ intelligence, efficiency and kindness on the bench.

In a statement, Dries said he was happy to be chosen to serve the court and the public as a magistrate judge.

“(N)ow I must figure out where to buy a black robe,” Dries wrote.

Dries is a Wauwatosa native who received his law degree from UW Law School. He lives in Brookfield.

The Eastern District has five district judge positions, three full-time magistrate judges and one part-time judge in Green Bay.