William W. Brash III

The Honorable
William W. Brash III
Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
In office
August 1, 2021 – July 31, 2023
Appointed byWisconsin Supreme Court
Preceded byLisa S. Neubauer
Succeeded byMaxine Aldridge White
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I
In office
October 28, 2015 – July 31, 2023
Appointed byScott Walker
Preceded byRebecca Bradley
Succeeded bySara Geenen
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 21
In office
November 2001 – October 28, 2015
Appointed byScott McCallum
Preceded byStanley A. Miller
Succeeded byCynthia M. Davis
Personal details
Born (1951-07-15) July 15, 1951 (age 73)
Panama
SpouseRuth
Children1 son
ResidenceFox Point, Wisconsin
EducationSt. Norbert College (BA)
Marquette University (JD)

William Wheeler Brash III (born July 15, 1951)[1] is an American lawyer and jurist from Wisconsin. He served as the chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals from 2021 through 2023, and was a member of the Milwaukee-based District I court from 2015 through 2023. He previously served 15 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County.

Biography

Born in Panama[1][2] and raised in Fox Point, Wisconsin, Brash received his B.A. degree from St. Norbert College in 1973 and his J.D. degree from Marquette University Law School in 1978. He practiced law and was a business owner. He served as a municipal judge in Fox Point from 1984 to 1997, and then as a reserve municipal judge for Milwaukee from 1997 until 2001.[2]

In November 2001 he was appointed to the Wisconsin Circuit Court in Milwaukee County by Governor Scott McCallum. He was re-elected to the Circuit Court in 2002, 2008, and 2014. In 2015, Governor Scott Walker appointed Brash to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals to fill the vacancy created by his appointment of Judge Rebecca Bradley to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Brash won a full term on the court without opposition in the spring election of 2017.[3][4][5] He is currently the Presiding Judge for District I.[1] On June 28, 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order naming him the next chief judge, effective August 1, 2021.[6]

On April 4, 2023, Brash lost his reelection bid to labor lawyer Sara Geenen.[7]

Personal life

Judge Brash and his wife, Ruth, have one son and reside in Fox Point, Wisconsin.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Circuit Court (2002, 2008, 2014)

Wisconsin Circuit Court, Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 21 Election, 2002[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 2, 2002
Nonpartisan Bill Brash (incumbent) 71,362 62.19%
Nonpartisan Ramon Valdez 43,047 37.51%
Scattering 341 0.30%
Total votes 114,750 100.0%

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (2017, 2023)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I Election, 2017[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 4, 2017
Nonpartisan Bill Brash (incumbent) 51,818 98.53%
Scattering 771 1.47%
Total votes 52,589 100.0%
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I Election, 2023[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 4, 2023
Nonpartisan Sara Geenen 130,030 68.18%
Nonpartisan Bill Brash (incumbent) 59,587 31.25%
N/a Scattering 1,088 0.57%
Plurality 70,443 36.94%
Total votes 190,705 100.0% -1.35%

References

  1. ^ a b c "Wisconsin Court System - Court of Appeals Judges - Judge Brash". www.wicourts.gov. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  2. ^ a b "2002 Election Results" (PDF). The Third Branch. Vol. 10, no. 2. Courts of Wisconsin. 2002. p. 21. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  3. ^ "Governor Scott Walker Appoints District 1 Court of Appeals Judge". Office of the Governor of Wisconsin. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Wisconsin Court System-Wisconsin Court of Appeals-Judge William W. Brash III
  5. ^ Martindale.com.-Judge Profile: Hon. William W. Brash III
  6. ^ Conniff, Ruth (June 30, 2021). "Supreme Court summarily ends Court of Appeals chief judge's term". Wisconsin Examiner. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  7. ^ Dawson, Drew (April 5, 2023). "Sara Geenen elected to the Court of Appeals, defeating District 1 incumbent Bill Brash". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Results of Spring General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. April 2, 2002. p. 6. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  9. ^ Canvass Results for 2017 Spring Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. April 4, 2017. p. 1. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  10. ^ 2023 Spring Election - Court of Appeals District 1 - County by County Report (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Stanley A. Miller
 Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 21
2001–2015 		Succeeded by
Cynthia M. Davis
Preceded by Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I
2015–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
2021–2023 		Succeeded by