Annette K. Ziegler is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 attorney

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

. She is currently a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Wisconsin Supreme Court

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in the state of Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.-Location:...

.

Ziegler received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Psychology from Hope College

Hope College

Hope College is a medium-sized , private, residential liberal arts college located in downtown Holland, Michigan, a few miles from Lake Michigan. It was opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled...

, and a law degree from Marquette University Law School

Marquette University Law School

Marquette University Law School is the professional school for the study of law at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and one of only two law schools in Wisconsin. With 45 full-time professors and approximately 760 J.D. students, the law school is ranked in the top tier among American...

. While in law school she was a staff editor of the Marquette Law Review

Marquette Law Review

The Marquette Law Review is a quarterly law review edited by students at Marquette University Law School. The review is ranked 56th among general US student-edited journals for citations by courts...

, as well as a recipient of the Dean's Award.

She was admitted to the Wisconsin State Bar in 1989. Before serving in the judiciary, Ziegler worked as a federal prosecutor, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. She was also a pro bono

Pro bono

Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...

 Special Assistant District Attorney in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. In private practice, she was a civil private practice attorney for several years at the law firm of O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman & DeJong, SC.

In 1997, Ziegler was appointed by then-Gov. Tommy Thompson

Tommy Thompson

Thomas George "Tommy" Thompson , a United States Republican politician, was the 42nd Governor of Wisconsin, after which he served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thompson was a candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, but dropped out early after a poor performance in polls...

 to the Washington County Circuit Court. She won a full term to that seat by election in 1998 and was re-elected in 2004. She then chose to run for election to the Supreme Court seat being vacated by retiring Justice Jon P. Wilcox

Jon P. Wilcox

Justice Jon P. Wilcox is a former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He was appointed to the Court by Governor Tommy G. Thompson in 1992 and elected to the court in 1997. His term expired July 31, 2007. Justice Wilcox did not seek re-election, and Washington County Circuit Court Judge...

.

Justice Ziegler voted not to require a judge to recuse himself or herself solely because the judge's campaign committee received previous lawful political contributions from one or more involved parties.

Wisconsin Supreme Court election

Ziegler and fellow candidate Linda Clifford won the two berths in the primary voting in February. The campaign was a contentious one; Clifford contended Ziegler ruled in cases where she was unable to be objective. Ziegler contended Clifford had never been a judge and would be ill-prepared to do so; she also raised concerns about two of Clifford's campaign workers misrepresenting themselves to law enforcement officials.
On April 3, 2007, Ziegler defeated Clifford in the election, 58% to Clifford's 42%.

External links

• "Ziegler Faces Conflict Questions", Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, March 5, 2007
• "Judge Takes More Than Half of Votes", Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, February 20, 2007