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Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of three Wisconsin intermediate appellate court judges will expire on July 31, 2026. The three seats are up for nonpartisan election on April 7, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for nonpartisan election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
District I
District II
District IV
Candidates and results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
District I
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on April 7, 2026.
District II
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on April 7, 2026.
District IV
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on April 7, 2026.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Wisconsin
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Selection
The 16 judges on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals are elected in nonpartisan elections. Judges serve six-year terms, and to remain on the court, they must run for re-election after their term expires.[1][2]
Qualifications
To serve on the court of appeals, a judge must be:
- a qualified elector of Wisconsin;
- licensed to practice law in Wisconsin for a minimum of five years immediately prior to election or appointment; and
- under the age of 70.[3]
Chief judge
The Wisconsin Supreme Court appoints the chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. The chief judge serves a three-year term.[1] Each of the four districts of the court of appeals is managed by a presiding judge, appointed by the chief judge of the court of appeals. The presiding judges serve two-year terms.[4][5]
Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy on the court, the governor has the power and duty to appoint an individual to the vacancy. The governor screens judicial applicants using an advisory council on judicial selection. The council recommends three to five candidates to the governor, although the governor is not bound by their recommendations. The appointed judge must then stand for election in the first subsequent year in which no other judge's term expires.[2][1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 12, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wisconsin Constitution," accessed September 19, 2014 (Article VII, Section 4: pg.10)
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wisconsin Constitution," accessed September 19, 2014 (Article VII, Section 24: pg.11)
- ↑ Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals"
- ↑ Wisconsin Court System, "Court of Appeals: Judges," accessed October 27, 2015
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin
State courts:
Wisconsin Supreme Court • Wisconsin Court of Appeals • Wisconsin Circuit Courts • Wisconsin Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Wisconsin • Wisconsin judicial elections • Judicial selection in Wisconsin
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