Up for election: Contested judicial races on the April 6 ballot

Listen to this article

The April 6 election promises to bring some changes to Wisconsin courts. The ballot presents contested races for two of Wisconsin’s four Courts of Appeals and 11 contested circuit-court races.

Here’s a list of those races and details about each candidate:

Court of Appeals Judge, District II

Judge Jeffrey Davis (Incumbent)

• Appointed to District II in 2019 by Gov. Tony Evers.
• 32 years of experience in business and civil litigation.
• “I am going to scrupulously follow the law as best I can by being very diligent in reviewing the record, intellectually honest, unbiased toward any political party, bearing in mind practical implications of the decisions I write.”
• Read the Wisconsin Law Journal’s interview with Davis
• Campaign website

Judge Shelley Grogan

• City of Muskego judge and judicial assistant to Justice Rebecca Bradley.
• Worked as an appellate clerk for 21 years and became Bradley’s permanent judicial assistant in 2015.
• “I will not legislate from the bench. I will always do the proper role of the judge, which is to apply laws that the Legislature writes.”
• Read the Wisconsin Law Journal’s interview with Grogan
• Campaign website

Court of Appeals Judge, District III

Rick Cveykus

• Managing partner of Cveykus Law in Wausau and UW Law School lecturer.
• Has been practicing criminal law, family law and small claims in the area for 14 years.
• “Our job is supposed to be a check on government power. Our job is to say people’s rights come first. If we start looking for every reason not to address legal issues … we start to lose the moral high ground that courts have to have.”
• Read the Wisconsin Law Journal’s interview with Cveykus
• Campaign website

Judge Gregory B. Gill Jr.

• Outagamie County circuit court judge since 2011.
• Serves on the county’s Branch IV, the mental health court and the statewide commercial court pilot docket. Previously worked as an assistant district attorney and in private practice.
• “I believe my job is to apply the law as written, as opposed to rewriting or pseudo-legislating from the bench. If I had a different approach, it leads to the possibility of too much inconsistency or indecisiveness.”
• Read the Wisconsin Law Journal’s interview with Gill
• Campaign website

Bayfield County Circuit Court Judge

Judge John P. Anderson (Incumbent)

• Presiding Bayfield County Circuit Court Judge since 2003 and deputy chief judge of the 10th District of Wisconsin.
• Practiced law in Washburn and surrounding communities for 14 years prior to taking the bench. Experience included jury trial, civil litigation, family law, zoning and criminal law, as well as serving as a court commissioner and town attorney.
• Anderson said his collaboration with other officials has brought Bayfield County to the forefront in criminal justice programs, jail rehabilitation programs, treatment courts and evidenced-based approaches to problems. He also worked with Red Cliff tribal judges to open lines of communication and cooperation between the two courts and served on several state court committees.
• Campaign Facebook page

Vincent Scott Kurta

• Assistant district attorney for Sawyer County.
• Previously worked as an attorney for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and at Haukaas Law Office in Ashland.
• Kurta said his variety of work experiences, education and ability to relate honestly and respectfully reinforce his mission to serve society to the best of his ability.
• LinkedIn page

Brown County Circuit Court Judge, Branch IV

Judge Kendall M. Kelley (Incumbent)

• Appointed to Brown County Circuit Court Branch IV in 2002 by Gov. Scott McCallum.
• Served as an assistant district attorney in Brown County and town of Suamico municipal judge prior to taking the bench.
• Since his appointment, Kelley has served on the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, chaired the Brown County Courthouse Security & Facilities Committee and helped found the Northeast Wisconsin Veteran’s Treatment Court.
• Campaign website

Rachel Maes

• Assistant city attorney for Green Bay.
• Previously worked as an assistant district attorney in Douglas County and as the county’s assistant corporation counsel.
• Maes said she’s an advocate for equal justice, dignity and diversity who’s spent her legal career trying to make life better and safer for her neighbors. She said would bring a fair, balanced and practical perspective to the Brown County court.
• Campaign website

Calumet County Circuit Court, Branch 2

Carey John Reed

• Attorney at Carey J. Reed Law Office in Appleton who focuses on children’s and family law, as well as civil and criminal litigation.
• Previoulsy worked as a special prosecutor to handle cases for district attorneys in three counties in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties.
• He said his mission as a judge will be to create a treatment court in Calumet County to address the drug epidemic.
• Campaign website

Kimberly A. Tenerelli

• Calumet County corporation counsel who handles mental health commitments, guardianship and protective placement cases, Children in Need of Protective Services and Termination of Parental Rights cases, and other legal issues for the county.
• Previously served as an assistant district attorney in Outagamie and Fond du Lac counties and taught legal classes as Marian University in Fond du Lac.
• Tenerelli believes everyone should be treated fairly, equitably and respectfully. She said a judge should always be ethical and apply the law as written.
• Campaign website

Dunn County Circuit Court Judge, Branch 2

Nicholas P. Lange

• Corporation counsel for Dunn County.
• Has been practicing law in Dunn County for 28 years, first in private practice and then joined the Dunn County Corporation Counsel Office in 1995.
• He said as a judge, he would consider each person’s individual circumstances with fairness, neutrality and impartiality in mind. He plans to hear cases in a timely manner and strengthen collaborative justice and evidence-based practices in Dunn County.
• Campaign Facebook page

Christina Mayer

• Solo practitioner in Menomonie with prior experience in private practice.
• Focuses on family court, child protection, guardianships, wills, estates, real estate and some civil cases.
• She describes her judicial philosophy as following the law, rather than the pressures of politics. She said judges should hear cases in a fair and expeditious manner.
• Campaign website

Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Judge, Branch 3

Andrew J. Christenson

• Currently serves as Green Lake County’s district attorney and has held the position since 2014
• Previously worked as a Fond du Lac County assistant district attorney.
• Christenson said he has a straightforward judicial philosophy, in which judges “call balls and strikes,” apply the law and do not legislate from the bench.
• Campaign website

Laura Lavey

• Partner with the law firm of O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing who practices commercial litigation.
• Her practice focuses on the prosecution and defense of a wide range of civil litigation matters. She has handled all stages of litigation and dispute resolution from early risk management through trial and appeals.
• Lavey said it is crucial that a judge have respect for the rule of law, respect for the process, respect for the office, and respect for those who appear in court.
• Campaign website

Green County Circuit Court Judge, Branch 1

Jane Bucher

• Has served as an assistant state public defender in Green County since 2011.
• Represents children, juveniles and adults in criminal and civil cases, including termination of parental rights, mental health commitments and protective placement.
• Bucher said she has extensive legal experience with the type of cases that a Green County judge decides. If elected, she said she will work hard, respect all who come before her, and give everyone a fair shake.
• Campaign website

Faun Marie Phillipson

• Founded Phillipson & Uretsky in 2004 with offices in New York, New Jersey and New Glarus.
• Practices corporate and transactional matters, regulatory matters and alternative dispute resolution. Locally, she also prepares wills and deed transfers, handles landlord-tenant disputes, and represents clients in employment matters.
• Phillipson said she’s knowledgeable about the law, has experience in a variety of courts and is dedicated to Green County.
• Campaign website

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge, Branch 2

Daniel Diehn

• Has been serving Jackson County as district attorney since his appointment in 2018.
• Previously worked as Jackson County court commissioner, city attorney for Black River Falls and in private practice.
• Diehn said he’s always believed community service is a vital component of his professional career. He said he’ll work tirelessly to promote the values of fairness and justice in Jackson County.
• Campaign website

Robyn Matousek

• Solo practitioner who focuses her practice on family law, wills, probate and real estate.
• Previously worked for district attorney’s offices in La Crosse and Marathon counties.
• Matousek said she’ll use her breadth of professional knowledge and experience to ensure the fair, impartial and independent administration of justice.
• Campaign website

Kenosha County Circuit Court, Branch 1

Judge Larisa V. Benitez-Morgan (Incumbent)

• Appointed to Kenosha County court in April 2020 by Gov. Tony Evers.
• Previously worked as a Kenosha County public defender for 12 years, specializing in criminal, juvenile, mental-health, protective-placement, termination-of-parental-rights and child-support matters.
• Benitez-Morgan said she has the legal knowledge and expertise, along with the life experiences, to continue serving as a fair and dedicated judge.
• Campaign website

Gerad Dougvillo

• Judicial court commissioner in Walworth County since 2016, presiding over criminal, civil and family court cases; domestic abuse and harassment injunctions; small-claims and traffic matters; and participating in the OWI Treatment Court program.
• Previously worked at the Racine County district attorney’s office.
• Dougvillo believes in the right of the people to have a role in selecting their judiciary. He said he has the proper experience, temperament and commitment to the community to serve as a circuit-court judge.
• Campaign website

Kenosha County Circuit Court, Branch 6

Angela D. Cunningham

• Defense attorney and guardian ad litem at ADC Law Office in Kenosha.
• Previously served as a public-interest attorney, prosecutor and representative for victims of domestic violence at Legal Action of Wisconsin.
• Cunningham said she will bring her experience working with victims, compassion, toughness and fairness to the bench. As a single mom, she said knows what it’s like to struggle financially and manage many responsibilities — an experience she said will make her a compassionate judge.
• Campaign website

Angelina Gabriele

• Deputy district attorney for Kenosha County since 2017.
• Previously worked for the Wisconsin Department of Justice as an assistant attorney general and spent 25 years as a prosecutor for the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office.
• Gabriele said she’s dedicated her career to protecting the most vulnerable in the community, namely children and the elderly, from abuse and neglect. She supports rehabilitation-focused alternatives to incarceration, including treatment courts and diversion programs.
• Campaign website

Marathon County Circuit Court, Branch 6

Scott M. Corbett

• Chief legal counsel for the Marathon County Office of Corporation Counsel.
• Worked for the office since 1990 and has held the role of chief legal counsel since 2008.
• Corbett said the role of the circuit court is to act as a fact-finder. As a judge, he’s committed to thoughtfully and thoroughly reading the court file, following the law and carefully writing legal opinions.
• Campaign website

Daniel T. Cveykus

• Kronenwetter municipal court judge for 11 years.
• Worked in private practice for 28 years and has more than 20 years experience acting as a guardian ad litem.
• Cveykus said he’s handled every type of case, from speeding tickets and divorces to homicides and contract law, and this experience has prepared him to be a judge in Marathon County.
• Campaign Facebook page

Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Branch 3

Katie Kegel

• State public defender since 2011 and adjunct professor of law at Marquette University Law School.
• Has handled felony and misdemeanor cases and worked in the drug and OWI treatment courts.
• Kegel said she’s committed to looking at matters case-by-case and finding ways to reform the criminal-justice system, including departing from over-incarceration practices of the past.
• Read about Kegel’s views on a variety of other issues in this Wisconsin Law Journal article.
• Campaign website

Susan Roth

• Partner and criminal-defense attorney at Kohn Smith Roth in Milwaukee.
• Joined the firm out of law school in 2007 and was named partner in 2013.
• Roth said she’s committed to being fair, balanced and objective while keeping the needs of society in mind. She said her judicial philosophy is simple: Treat people with respect and listen to them.
• Read about Roth’s views on a variety of other issues in this Wisconsin Law Journal article.
• Campaign website