Rachel A. Graham
The Honorable Rachel A. Graham | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV | |
| Assumed office July 4, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | Tony Evers |
| Preceded by | Gary Sherman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 7, 1976 Stevens Point, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Education | |
Rachel Anne Graham (born June 7, 1976) is an American lawyer, currently serving as judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Madison-based District IV court. She was appointed in 2019 by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.
Early life and education
[edit]Born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Graham graduated from Stevens Point Area Senior High School in 1994.[1] After earning her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 1998, she went to work for several years as a special education teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and worked as a curriculum specialist at various education non-profits.[2]
She returned to school to obtain her Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2008.[2] During law school, she worked as a student attorney with the Wisconsin Innocence Project and was senior managing editor of the Wisconsin International Law Journal.[3][4]
Legal career
[edit]In 2011, she served as a law clerk to Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. She was clerking for Justice Bradley during the infamous altercation between Bradley and fellow-Justice David Prosser Jr., in which Prosser grabbed Bradley by the neck.[5] Graham was one of several court staffers interviewed in the investigation and pointed to pressure from the state legislature as having damaged relations between the justices.[6][7]
Following her clerkship, Graham was hired by the national law firm Quarles & Brady in their Madison office, working in commercial litigation. While working at Quarles & Brady, she was also volunteering as a commissioner on Wisconsin's National and Community Service Board, having been appointed in 2010.[3] She remained at Quarles & Brady until her appointment to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in 2019.[2]
Judicial career
[edit]On June 13, 2019, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced the appointment of Graham to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, to the seat vacated by the retirement of Judge Gary Sherman.[1] Judge Graham was the first judicial appointment of Tony Evers' governorship.[7] She won re-election without opposition in the 2020 election.[8]
Electoral history
[edit]Wisconsin Appeals Court (2020)
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, April 7, 2020 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Rachel A. Graham (incumbent) | 341,286 | 99.42% | ||
| Scattering | 1,996 | 0.58% | |||
| Total votes | 343,282 | 100.0% | |||
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Gov. Evers Appoints Rachel A. Graham to the Court of Appeals". Office of the Governor of Wisconsin (Press release). June 13, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via GovDelivery.
- ^ a b c "Judge Rachel A. Graham". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ a b "Rachel A. Graham, Associate". Quarles & Brady. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Quarles & Brady Welcomes Three Attorneys to its Madison Office". Quarles & Brady (Press release). August 29, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ Davey, Monica (June 25, 2011). "Wisconsin Judge Said to Have Attacked Colleague". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ Kittner, Gena; Barbour, Clay (August 27, 2011). "Pressure from GOP". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 7. Retrieved September 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Vielmetti, Bruce. "Gov. Tony Evers makes first judicial appointment, will need 71 more to match Walker". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Canvass Results for 2020 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote - 4/7/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. May 4, 2020. p. 3. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
External links
[edit]- 1976 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century American lawyers
- 20th-century American women lawyers
- Northwestern University alumni
- People from Stevens Point, Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
- Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges
- Wisconsin lawyers
- 21st-century American women judges
- Stevens Point Area Senior High School alumni