List of justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court explained

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

Territorial judges

JudgeTerm as justiceTerm as chiefSucceededNotes
StartEndStartEnd
1836184818361848New seatAppointed by Andrew Jackson.[1]
18361838New seatAppointed by Andrew Jackson.[2] Died in office.
18361848New seatAppointed by Andrew Jackson.
18381848Appointed 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
1848185118481851New seatElected in [5]
1848185318511851New seatElected in [6]
1848185318521853New seatElected in [7]
18481853New seatElected in [8]
18481853New seatElected in [9]
18501853New seatElected in [10]
18511853Alexander W. StowElected in [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
1853185918531859New seatElected (as chief justice) 1852, 1857.
Died in office.
18531855New seatElected 1852. Lost re-election 1855.[12]
18531859New seatElected 1852.[13]
1855189218801892Elected 1855.
Appointed chief justice by William E. Smith
Elected (as chief justice) 1881.[14]
1859187418591874Appointed chief justice by Alexander Randall.
Elected (as chief justice) 1860,[15] 1863,[16] 1868,[17] 1869.[18]
Resigned.[19]
18591864Elected 1859.
Resigned.[20]
18641867Appointed by James T. Lewis.
Elected 1865.
Resigned.[21]
18671871Appointed by Lucius Fairchild. Elected 1868.
Died in office.
1871189418921894Appointed by Lucius Fairchild.
Elected 1872, 1877, 1883.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
1874188018741880Appointed chief justice by William Robert Taylor.
Elected (as chief justice) 1875. Died in office.
18781891New seatElected 1878, 1885.
1878189518941895New seatElected 1878, 1887.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
1880190718951907Appointed by William E. Smith.
Elected 1881, 1889, 1899.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
1891192019071920Appointed by George Wilbur Peck.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
18921898Elected. Resigned.
18941898Elected. Died in office.
18951918Appointed by William H. Upham.
18981903Appointed by Edward Scofield. Died in office.
18981910Appointed by Edward Scofield. Resigned.
1903192219201922Appointed by Robert M. La Follette.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
19051921New seatElected. Died in office.
19071916New seatElected. Died in office.
19081908Appointed by James O. Davidson. Lost election.
19081916Elected. Resigned.
1910192919221929Appointed by James O. Davidson.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
1916195019291950Appointed by Emanuel L. Philipp.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
19161929Elected 1916; appointed to begin early.
Died in office.
19181934Elected. Died in office.
19201926Appointed by Emanuel L. Philipp.
19211929Appointed by John J. Blaine. Resigned.
19221930Appointed by John J. Blaine. Elected 1923.
Died in office.
19261930Elected. Died in office.
19291948Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr.
Died in office.
1929195419501954Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Resigned.
1929195719541957Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
19301949Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr. Died in office.
19301942Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Sr.
19341934Appointed by Albert G. Schmedeman. Died in office.
19341946Appointed by Albert G. Schmedeman. Died in office.
19421948Elected. Died in office.
19461947Appointed by Walter Samuel Goodland. Lost election.
19481951Elected. Resigned.
1948196219571962Appointed by Oscar Rennebohm.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
1948196219621962Appointed by Oscar Rennebohm.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
1949196419621964Appointed by Oscar Rennebohm.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
19501956Elected. Died in office.
1951196819641968Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Jr.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Lost re-election.
19541958Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Jr. Resigned.
19561959Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Jr. Lost election.
19571966Elected.
Resigned; appointed judge, U.S. 7th Circuit.
1958197419681974Appointed by Vernon Wallace Thomson.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Resigned.
19591964Elected. Died in office.
19621967Elected.
Resigned; appointed U.S. dist. judge, E.D.Wis.
1962197619741976Appointed by Gaylord Nelson.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
Died in office.
1964198319761983Elected.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
1964199519831995Appointed by John W. Reynolds Jr.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
19661978Appointed by Warren P. Knowles. Elected 1968.
19671980Appointed by Warren P. Knowles. Elected 1970.
19671977Elected 1967.
1974199619951996Appointed by Patrick Lucey.
Elected 1976, 1986.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
1976201919962015Appointed by Patrick Lucey.
Elected 1979, 1989, 1999, 2009.
Chief justice by seniority rule.
19771992Elected 1977. Resigned.
19781982Elected 1978.
Resigned; appointed judge, U.S. 7th circuit
19801999Elected 1980, 1990. Resigned.
19821993Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus.
19832003Elected 1983, 1993.
19922007Appointed by Tommy Thompson. Elected 1997.
19931998Appointed by Tommy Thompson. Resigned.
1995data-sort-value="" CurrentElected 1995, 2005, 2015.
19962015Elected 1996, 2006. Died in office.
19982016Appointed by Tommy Thompson. Elected 2001, 2011. Resigned.
19992004Appointed by Tommy Thompson.
Resigned; appointed judge, U.S. 7th circuit
2003202320152021Elected 2003, 2013.
Chief justice by court majority.
20042008Appointed by Jim Doyle. Lost election.
2007 data-sort-value="" Current2021data-sort-value="" CurrentElected 2007, 2017.
Chief justice by court majority.
20082018Elected 2008.
2015data-sort-value="" CurrentAppointed by Scott Walker. Elected 2016.
20162020Appointed by Scott Walker. Lost election.
2018data-sort-value="" CurrentElected 2018.
2019data-sort-value="" CurrentElected 2019.
2020data-sort-value="" CurrentElected 2020.
2023data-sort-value="" CurrentElected 2023.

Sources

Notes and References

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

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