Patricia S. Curley

Patricia S. Curley (born October 25, 1946) is a retired American judge. She served on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Milwaukee-based District I from 1996 until her retirement in 2016, and served as its presiding judge from 2007. Prior to her election to the Court of Appeals, she served 18 years as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Milwaukee County.

The Honorable Patricia S. Curley
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I
In office August 1, 1996 – December 10, 2016
Appointed by	Scott Walker
Preceded by	Michael T. Sullivan
Succeeded by	Timothy G. Dugan
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 3
In office August 1, 1978 – July 31, 1996
Appointed by	Martin J. Schreiber
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Clare L. Fiorenza
Personal details
Born	(1946-10-25) October 25, 1946 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Father	Judge Robert M. Curley
Education	Marquette University (B.A.) Marquette Law School (J.D.)

Biography

Born in Milwaukee,[1] Curley is the daughter of Judge Robert M. Curley, a legislator and Wisconsin Circuit Court judge.[2] She received her bachelor's degree from Marquette University in 1969 and graduated from Marquette University Law School in 1973.[1] From 1973 to 1978, Curley was employed as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County,[1] serving in the office's sensitive crimes unit[3] under District Attorney E. Michael McCann.

In July 1978, Curley was appointed to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court by Governor Martin J. Schreiber; she was elected to a six-year term on the court in April 1979 and subsequently re-elected in 1985 and 1991.[4] During her tenure on the circuit court, Curley specialized in family law and served ten years as a family court judge.[3]

In 1996, Judge Curley challenged incumbent Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Michael T. Sullivan.[3] After a contentious campaign,[5] Curley defeated Judge Sullivan. Judge Curley went on to win re-election in 2002 and 2008. In 2007, Curley succeeded Judge Ted E. Wedemeyer, Jr., as presiding judge of District I.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1979, 1985, 1991)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (1996, 2002, 2008, 2014)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 1996[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
Primary Election, February 6, 1996
	Nonpartisan	Patricia S. Curley	38,023	45.19%
	Nonpartisan	Michael T. Sullivan (incumbent)	37,875	45.02%
	Nonpartisan	Lew A. Wasserman	8,238	9.79%
Total votes			'84,136'	'100.0%'
General Election, March 19, 1996
	Nonpartisan	Patricia S. Curley	136,650	66.97%
	Nonpartisan	Michael T. Sullivan (incumbent)	67,386	33.03%
Total votes			'204,036'	'100.0%'

References

1. "Presiding Judge Patricia S. Curley". Wisconsin Court System. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
2. "Judge Robert Curley is Retiring". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. January 6, 1983. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
3. Daley, Dave (October 9, 1995). "Sullivan seeks another term on Appeals Court". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
4. Morrison, Helane (April 3, 1979). "Women Elected to Bench for 1st Time in County". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
5. Janz, William (26 March 1996). "Judge Sullivan earned his 'your honor'". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
6. Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1997). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1997-1998 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 871–872. Retrieved March 28, 2020.

Legal offices
Preceded by New circuit	Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 3 1978 – 1996	Succeeded by Clare L. Fiorenza
Preceded by Michael T. Sullivan	Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I 1996 – 2016	Succeeded by Timothy G. Dugan