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Brash appointed as Court of Appeals chief judge

Brash appointed as Court of Appeals chief judge

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed Judge William Brash III as chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

Brash to replace Neubauer starting on Aug. 1

Judge William W. Brash III. Photo from the Wisconsin Court System website
Judge William Brash III (Photo from the Wisconsin Court System website)

Brash will replace Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer starting on Aug. 1. Neubauer will have served the maximum of six years as chief judge upon completion of her second three-year term. She will remain on the District II Court of Appeals.

Brash was appointed to the District I Court of Appeals in 2015 after serving on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court from 2001 to 2015. He is the former presiding judge of the Milwaukee County Civil/Probate Division, a former municipal judge for the Village of Fox Point and a former reserve municipal judge. Brash worked as an attorney in private practice from 1978 to 2001. He has a bachelor’s degree from St. Norbert College and a law degree from Marquette University Law School.

In addition to maintaining a caseload, the Court of Appeals chief judge handles a variety of administrative duties for the four-district, 16-judge Court of Appeals. Districts are headquartered in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Wausau and Madison. The chief judge works with court administrators and staff on budget matters, case-flow management and other administrative matters.

5 circuit court judges re-appointed

The state Supreme Court on Thursday also reappointed five circuit court judges to continue serving as chief judges of their respective judicial administrative districts.

Chief judges are appointed by the state Supreme Court and can serve up to three two-year terms. The chief judges meet throughout the year as a committee to address administrative issues impacting the state.

With the exception of the First Judicial Administrative District, where the chief judge is a full-time administrator, chief judges and their deputies maintain court calendars in addition to handling administrative matters.

The following reappointments will take effect on Aug. 1:

Chief Judge Mary Triggiano, First Judicial District

Chief Judge Mary Triggiano of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court will continue leading the First Judicial District. Triggiano was first appointed to the bench in 2004. She was then elected in 2005 and re-elected in 2011 and 2017.

Before her initial appointment as chief judge in 2020, Triggiano had served as a deputy chief judge of the First Judicial Administrative District. She is the former presiding judge of the county’s Children’s Court and the county’s Domestic Violence Court.

Triggiano serves on the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Judicial Education Committee and has served on the Judicial Committee on Child Welfare, among other court-related committees. She is a graduate of UW Law School.

Chief Judge Jennifer Dorow, Third Judicial District

Chief Judge Jennifer Dorow of the Waukesha County Circuit Court will serve a third two-year term as chief judge of District Three. She has been on the Waukesha County Circuit Court since her appointment in 2011, successfully winning elections in 2012 and 2018.

Prior to taking the bench, Dorow worked as an assistant district attorney for Waukesha County and spent 12 years in private practice. She is a graduate of Marquette University and Regent University Law School. The Third Judicial Administrative District includes Dodge, Jefferson, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.

Chief Judge Barbara Key, Fourth Judicial District

In District Four, the state Supreme Court reappointed Chief Judge Barbara Key of the Winnebago County Circuit Court to a third two-year term as chief judge. She was first elected to the Winnebago County Circuit Court in 1998 and re-elected in 2004, 2010 and 2016.

Key previously served as a circuit court commissioner in Winnebago County and as an assistant district attorney in Winnebago and Wood counties. She has also worked in private practice. Key is a graduate of UW-Madison and the UW Law School. The Fourth Judicial Administrative District includes Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Manitowoc, Marquette, Sheboygan, Waushara and Winnebago counties.

Chief Judge Thomas Vale, Fifth Judicial District

Chief Judge Thomas Vale of the Green County Circuit Court will lead District V for another term. Vale was elected to the Green County Circuit Court in 2009 and re-elected in 2015 and 2021. He was appointed as chief judge last year.

Before joining the court, he worked in private practice from 1981 to 2009. He has a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison and a law degree from Drake University Law School. Vale is the former deputy chief judge of the Fifth Judicial Administrative District, which includes Columbia, Dane, Green, Lafayette, Rock and Sauk counties.

Chief Judge Robert VanDeHey, Seventh Judicial District

Chief Judge Robert VanDeHey, a Grant County Circuit Court judge, will serve another term as chief judge of the Seventh Judicial District. VanDeHey was appointed to the Grant County Circuit Court in 1998. He was then elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2005, 2011 and 2017.

VanDeHey worked as an attorney in private practice from 1986 to 1998. He has a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison and a law degree from the UW Law School. District Seven includes Adams, Buffalo, Clark, Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Richland, Trempealeau and Vernon counties.

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