COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE DISTRICT 4
Wisconsin’s courts play a vital role in protecting our rights and upholding the rule of law. State courts hear approximately 95% of all cases, including matters involving families, contracts, criminal law, voting rights, juvenile justice, and constitutional questions. They are the final arbiters of state law and the Wisconsin Constitution.The Wisconsin Court of Appeals consists of 16 judges serving in four districts. The Court of Appeals serves as the intermediate appellate court. It hears cases appealed from the circuit courts. The court will only overrule trial court decisions to fix important legal or procedural errors. Voters elect Court of Appeals judges to serve six-year terms. There is no term limit.Learn more
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Rachel A. Graham
(NON)
How does your background demonstrate your commitment to public service and the fair administration of justice?
What personal values will you bring with you to this office?
How will you ensure you remain impartial in practice and appearance while serving in this judicial office?
What factors need to be considered when judging cases appealed from the lower courts?
Please name one current or former US Supreme Court Justice you admire and explain your reasoning.
Committee
Judge Rachel Graham for Court of Appeals
I was born and raised in Stevens Point, where I learned the value of hard work and public service. Prior to attending law school, I worked as a waitress and a nanny and, eventually, as a middle school special education teacher. Following law school, I was a four-year law clerk to the Honorable Ann Walsh Bradley, who taught me what it means to be a fair-minded and compassionate jurist. As a practicing attorney, I was recognized for my commitment to providing pro bono representation to clients unable to afford legal services.
I have served on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals since 2019, and over the last seven years, I have worked with my colleagues to decide hundreds of appeals. It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve the people of Wisconsin in this role.
Integrity, compassion, and a commitment to equal justice for all. I believe that our state courts are more important than ever, and I pledge to continue to be a fair and compassionate voice on the court of appeals.
Like all Wisconsin judges, I take an oath to administer justice without respect to persons and to faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the office to the best of my ability. And like all Wisconsin judges, I commit to recusing myself from any case in which I have a personal stake in the outcome, or if I determine that my impartiality can reasonably be questioned. But beyond that, I believe that we all have implicit biases, and that the best way to overcome bias is by acknowledging it. By taking the time to acknowledge any preferences I have about the outcome of a case before me, I work towards ensuring that those preferences do not cloud my thinking and that my decisions are made based on law and facts, as they should be.
The core job of an appellate judge is to consider whether the circuit judge whose decision is being appealed correctly applied legal standards, decided factual issues in a way that is consistent with the evidence, and issued reasonable decisions that are within the range of discretion that the law gives to trial judges. In addition, I believe that in our own decisions, it is important to clearly explain our reasoning in a way that can be understood by people who do not necessarily have a law degree, and to recognize that our decisions may be used as precedent in other cases with different facts and equities.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As a practicing attorney, she understood how the law could be used a tool to promote justice and equality, and as a jurist, she wrote with a clarity and conviction that inspired many others to that same end.
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