Rachel A. Graham

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 Governor Tony Evers.

The Honorable

Rachel A. Graham
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV
Assumed office
July 4, 2019
Appointed byTony Evers
Preceded byGary Sherman
Personal details
Born (1976-06-07) June 7, 1976
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, U.S.
Education

Early life and education

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]

In 2011, she served as a law clerk to Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Anne 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

On June 13, 2019, 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

Wisconsin Appeals Court (2020)
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV Election, 2020[8]
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
  1. "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.
  2. "Judge Rachel A. Graham". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  3. "Rachel A. Graham, Associate". Quarles & Brady. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  4. "Quarles & Brady Welcomes Three Attorneys to its Madison Office". Quarles & Brady (Press release). August 29, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  5. Davey, Monica (June 25, 2011). "Wisconsin Judge Said to Have Attacked Colleague". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  6. Kittner, Gena; Barbour, Clay (August 27, 2011). "Pressure from GOP". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 7. Retrieved September 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Vielmetti, Bruce. "Gov. Tony Evers makes first judicial appointment, will need 71 more to match Walker". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  8. 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.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Gary Sherman		 Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
2019–present		 Incumbent


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