List of justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Last updated

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This is a list of justices who have served or are currently serving on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Contents

Territorial judges

JudgeTerm as justiceTerm as chiefSucceededNotes
StartEndStartEnd
Charles Dunn 1836184818361848New seatAppointed by Andrew Jackson. [1] [2]
William C. Frazer 18361838New seatAppointed by Andrew Jackson. [2] Died in office.
David Irvin 18361848New seatAppointed by Andrew Jackson. [2]
Andrew G. Miller 18381848 William C. Frazer Appointed by Martin Van Buren. [3]

Circuit justices serving as Supreme Court justices

Initially, Wisconsin's Supreme Court was just composed of the five judges of the five state judicial circuits. A sixth circuit was added in 1850. [4]

JudgeTerm as justiceTerm as chiefSucceededNotes
StartEndStartEnd
Alexander W. Stow 1848185118481851New seatElected in 4th circuit. [5]
Levi Hubbell 1848185318511851New seatElected in 2nd circuit. [6]
Edward V. Whiton 1848185318521853New seatElected in 1st circuit. [7]
Charles H. Larrabee 18481853New seatElected in 3rd circuit. [8]
Mortimer M. Jackson 18481853New seatElected in 5th circuit. [9]
Wiram Knowlton 18501853New seatElected in 6th circuit. [10]
Timothy O. Howe 18511853 Alexander W. Stow Elected in 4th circuit. [11]

Justices since 1853

In 1853, a separate Wisconsin Supreme Court was created with all members elected state-wide. Initially the court was three members; it grew to five justices in 1878, and to its current size of seven seats in 1907. Initially, the chief justice and associate justices were separate offices elected by the public, but a constitutional amendment ratified in 1889 converted all members of the court to "justices" and deemed that the "chief justice" would always be the justice who had served longest on the court (seniority). 126 years later, another constitutional amendment changed the selection rules for chief justice, abolishing the "seniority" rule, and instead mandating that the justices of the court would elect a chief justice from their members every two years. [4]

JudgeTerm as justiceTerm as chiefSucceededNotes
StartEndStartEnd
Edward V. Whiton 1853185918531859New seatElected (as chief justice) 1852, 1857.
Died in office. [7]
Samuel Crawford 18531855New seatElected 1852. Lost re-election 1855. [12]
Abram D. Smith 18531859New seatElected 1852. [13]
Orsamus Cole 1855189218801892 S. Crawford Elected 1855.
Appointed chief justice by William E. Smith
Elected (as chief justice) 1881. [14]
Luther S. Dixon 1859187418591874 E. V. Whiton Appointed chief justice by Alexander Randall.
Elected (as chief justice) 1860, [15] 1863, [16] 1868, [17] 1869. [18]
Resigned. [19]
Byron Paine 18591864 A. D. Smith Elected 1859.
Resigned. [20]
Jason Downer 18641867 B. Paine Appointed by James T. Lewis.
Elected 1865.
Resigned. [21]
Byron Paine18671871 J. Downer Appointed by Lucius Fairchild. Elected 1868.
Died in office. [20]
William P. Lyon 1871189418921894B. PaineAppointed by Lucius Fairchild.
Elected 1872, 1877, 1883.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Edward George Ryan 1874188018741880 L. S. Dixon Appointed chief justice by William Robert Taylor.
Elected (as chief justice) 1875. Died in office.
David Taylor 18781891New seatElected 1878, 1885.
Harlow S. Orton 1878189518941895New seatElected 1878, 1887.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
John B. Cassoday 1880190718951907 E. G. Ryan Appointed by William E. Smith.
Elected 1881, 1889, 1899.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
John B. Winslow 1891192019071920 D. Taylor Appointed by George Wilbur Peck.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
Silas U. Pinney 18921898 O. Cole Elected. Resigned.
Alfred W. Newman 18941898 W. P. Lyon Elected. Died in office.
Roujet D. Marshall 18951918 H. S. Orton Appointed by William H. Upham.
Charles V. Bardeen 18981903 A. W. Newman Appointed by Edward Scofield. Died in office.
Joshua Eric Dodge 18981910 S. U. Pinney Appointed by Edward Scofield. Resigned.
Robert G. Siebecker 1903192219201922 C. V. Bardeen Appointed by Robert M. La Follette.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
James C. Kerwin 19051921New seatElected. Died in office.
William H. Timlin 19071916New seatElected. Died in office.
Robert McKee Bashford 19081908 J. B. Cassoday Appointed by James O. Davidson. Lost election.
John Barnes 19081916 R. M. Bashford Elected. Resigned.
Aad J. Vinje 1910192919221929 J. E. Dodge Appointed by James O. Davidson.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
Marvin B. Rosenberry 1916195019291950 J. Barnes Appointed by Emanuel L. Philipp.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Franz C. Eschweiler 19161929 W. H. Timlin Elected. Died in office.
Walter C. Owen 19181934 R. D. Marshall Elected. Died in office.
Burr W. Jones 19201926 J. B. Winslow Appointed by Emanuel L. Philipp.
Christian Doerfler 19211929 J. C. Kerwin Appointed by John J. Blaine. Resigned.
Charles H. Crownhart 19221930 R. G. Siebecker Appointed by John J. Blaine.
Died in office.
E. Ray Stevens 19261930 B. W. Jones Elected. Died in office.
Chester A. Fowler 19291948 A. J. Vinje Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr.
Died in office.
Oscar M. Fritz 1929195419501954 C. Doerfler Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Resigned.
Edward T. Fairchild 1929195719541957 F. C. Eschweiler Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
John D. Wickhem 19301949 C. H. Crownhart Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr. Died in office.
George B. Nelson 19301942 E. R. Stevens Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr.
Theodore G. Lewis 19341934 W. C. Owen Appointed by Albert G. Schmedeman. Died in office.
Joseph Martin 19341946 T. G. Lewis Appointed by Albert G. Schmedeman. Died in office.
Elmer E. Barlow 19421948 G. B. Nelson Elected. Died in office.
James Ward Rector 19461947 J. Martin Appointed by Walter Samuel Goodland. Lost election.
Henry P. Hughes 19481951 J. W. Rector Elected. Resigned.
John E. Martin 1948196219571962 C. A. Fowler Appointed by Oscar Rennebohm.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Grover L. Broadfoot 1948196219621962 E. E. Barlow Appointed by Oscar Rennebohm.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
Timothy Brown 1949196419621964 J. D. Wickhem Appointed by Oscar Rennebohm.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Edward J. Gehl 19501956 M. B. Rosenberry Elected. Died in office.
George R. Currie 1951196819641968 H. P. Hughes Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Jr.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Lost re-election.
Roland J. Steinle 19541958 O. M. Fritz Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Jr. Resigned.
Emmert L. Wingert 19561959 E. J. Gehl Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Jr. Lost election.
Thomas E. Fairchild 19571966 E. T. Fairchild Elected.
Resigned; appointed judge, U.S. 7th Circuit.
E. Harold Hallows 1958197419681974 R. J. Steinle Appointed by Vernon Wallace Thomson.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Resigned.
William H. Dieterich 19591964 E. L. Wingert Elected. Died in office.
Myron L. Gordon 19621967 J. E. Martin Elected.
Resigned; appointed U.S. dist. judge, E.D.Wis.
Horace W. Wilkie 1962197619741976 G. L. Broadfoot Appointed by Gaylord Nelson.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
Bruce F. Beilfuss 1964198319761983 T. Brown Elected.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Nathan S. Heffernan 1964199519831995 W. H. Dieterich Appointed by John W. Reynolds Jr.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Leo B. Hanley 19661978 T. E. Fairchild Appointed by Warren P. Knowles. Elected 1968.
Connor Hansen 19671980 M. L. Gordon Appointed by Warren P. Knowles. Elected 1970.
Robert W. Hansen 19671977 G. R. Currie Elected 1967.
Roland B. Day 1974199619951996 E. H. Hallows Appointed by Patrick Lucey.
Elected 1976, 1986.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Shirley S. Abrahamson 1976201919962015 H. W. Wilkie Appointed by Patrick Lucey.
Elected 1979, 1989, 1999, 2009.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
William G. Callow 19771992 R. W. Hansen Elected 1977. Resigned.
John L. Coffey 19781982 L. B. Hanley Elected 1978.
Resigned; appointed judge, U.S. 7th circuit
Donald W. Steinmetz 19801999 C. Hansen Elected 1980, 1990. Resigned.
Louis J. Ceci 19821993 J. L. Coffey Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus.
William A. Bablitch 19832003 B. F. Beilfuss Elected 1983, 1993.
Jon P. Wilcox 19922007 W. G. Callow Appointed by Tommy Thompson. Elected 1997.
Janine P. Geske 19931998 L. J. Ceci Appointed by Tommy Thompson. Resigned.
Ann Walsh Bradley 1995Current N. Heffernan Elected 1995, 2005, 2015.
N. Patrick Crooks 19962015 R. B. Day Elected 1996, 2006. Died in office.
David T. Prosser 19982016 J. P. Geske Appointed by Tommy Thompson. Elected 2001, 2011. Resigned.
Diane S. Sykes 19992004 D. W. Steinmetz Appointed by Tommy Thompson.
Resigned; appointed judge, U.S. 7th circuit
Patience D. Roggensack 2003202320152021 W. A. Bablitch Elected 2003, 2013.
Chief justice by court majority.
Louis B. Butler 20042008 D. S. Sykes Appointed by Jim Doyle. Lost election.
Annette Ziegler 2007Current2021Current J. P. Wilcox Elected 2007, 2017.
Chief justice by court majority.
Michael Gableman 20082018 L. B. Butler Elected 2008.
Rebecca Bradley 2015Current N. P. Crooks Appointed by Scott Walker. Elected 2016.
Daniel Kelly 20162020 D. T. Prosser Appointed by Scott Walker. Lost election.
Rebecca Dallet 2018Current M. Gableman Elected 2018.
Brian Hagedorn 2019Current S. Abrahamson Elected 2019.
Jill Karofsky 2020Current D. Kelly Elected 2020.
Janet Protasiewicz 2023Current P. Roggensack Elected 2023.

Sources

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References

  1. ↑ "Dunn, Charles 1799 - 1872". Wisconsin Historical Society . Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Timeline of Wisconsin history, 1836-1899". Wisconsin Historical Society . Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Miller, Andrew Galbraith". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "History of the courts". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Former justices - Justice Alexander W. Stow". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Former justices - Justice Levi Hubbell". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Former justices - Justice Edward V. Whiton". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Former justices - Justice Charles H. Larrabee". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Former justices - Justice Mortimer M. Jackson". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Former justices - Justice Wiram Knowlton". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Former justices - Justice Timothy O. Howe". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Former Justices - Justice Samuel Crawford". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Former Justices - Justice Abram D. Smith". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Former Justices - Justice Orsamus Cole". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Official Canvass". Wisconsin State Journal . May 9, 1860. p. 2. Retrieved December 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Tabular Statement of Votes Polled for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court". Wisconsin State Journal . May 23, 1863. p. 2. Retrieved December 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Official Vote". Manitowoc Pilot. June 19, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Election of Chief Justice". Wisconsin State Journal . April 9, 1869. p. 2. Retrieved December 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Former Justices - Justice Luther S. Dixon". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Former Justices - Justice Byron Paine". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Former Justices - Justice Jason Downer". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
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