Lisa Neubauer

Lisa S. Neubauer (born July 21, 1957) is an American jurist and the current Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Judge Neubauer has served on the Court of Appeals since 2007 and has been chief judge since 2015.[1][2]

The Honorable Lisa Neubauer
Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
Incumbent
Assumed office August 2, 2015
Preceded by	Richard S. Brown
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II
Incumbent
Assumed office December 2007
Appointed by	Jim Doyle
Preceded by	Neal Nettesheim
Personal details
Born	(1957-07-21) July 21, 1957
Spouse(s)	Jeffrey A. Neubauer
Children	3, including Greta Neubauer
Residence	Racine, Wisconsin
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin-Madison (BS) University of Chicago (JD)
Website	Wisconsin courts bio

Early life and education

Neubauer graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1979. Prior to attending law school, she worked as an aide to state senator Fred Risser of Madison. In 1987, Neubauer graduated from the University of Chicago Law School where she was a member of the Order of the Coif.[3] Following her graduation from law school, she was a law clerk to Judge Barbara Brandriff Crabb of the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.[3]

Community Involvement

Neubauer is a recipient of the Community Service Award from the Association for Women Lawyers. She is a former board member of the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund, Racine Area United Way, the Equal Justice Coalition, and Legal Action of Wisconsin. She has been a reading tutor in the Racine public elementary schools through the United Way Schools of Hope program, a big sister with a Big Sisters of Greater Racine, and a mentor for breast cancer survivors through "After Breast Cancer Diagnosis" (ABCD).

Neubauer is on the Supreme Court Finance Committee and is co-chair of the Wisconsin Bar Association’s Bench and Bar Committee and Chair of the Bench/Bar Court Funding Subcommittee. She previously served on the Planning and Policy Advisory Committee, the Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court Committee on Community Outreach.

Legal career

Neubauer was employed from 1988 until 2007 at the Milwaukee law firm Foley and Lardner, specializing in environmental cleanup litigation and rising to the level of partner. While at the firm, she chaired the Insurance Dispute Resolution Practice Group and co-chaired the firm's national recruiting committee.[4]

In December 2007, Democratic Governor Jim Doyle appointed Neubauer to a seat on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals vacated by retired Judge Neal Nettesheim. Neubauer was the first woman to serve as a judge of the court's District II, headquartered in Waukesha.[5] Neubauer was elected to a full term on the court in the April 2008 general election, defeating attorney William C. Gleisner III.[6] She enjoyed bi-partisan support in her campaign for the position, including the endorsement of Michael Grebe, the former state chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. In 2009, Neubauer was appointed presiding judge of District II.[7]

On May 8, 2015, the Wisconsin Supreme Court appointed Neubauer chief judge of the Court of Appeals.[7] Neubauer took office on August 2, replacing retiring Chief Judge Richard S. Brown.

Judge Neubauer was a candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2019. Despite endorsements from 150 current and former Wisconsin judges, including 18 from the court of appeals,[8] she was narrowly defeated by Judge Brian Hagedorn.[9]

Judge Neubauer was re-elected to another term on the Court of Appeals in 2020.[10]

Personal life

Neubauer is the wife of former state representative Jeff Neubauer and mother of three children including Greta Neubauer, a current member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Neubauer resides in Racine, Wisconsin.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (2008, 2014)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II Election, 2008[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
General Election, April 1, 2008
	Nonpartisan	Lisa S. Neubauer (incumbent)	138,241	62.60%
	Nonpartisan	William C. Gleisner III	82,302	37.27%
		Scattering	286	0.13%
Plurality			55,939	25.36%
Total votes			220,543	100.0%

Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II Election, 2014[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
General Election, April 1, 2014
	Nonpartisan	Lisa S. Neubauer (incumbent)	115,521	99.49%
		Scattering	594	0.51%
Total votes			116,115	100.0%

Wisconsin Supreme Court (2019)

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 2019[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
General Election, April 2, 2019
	Nonpartisan	Brian Hagedorn	606,414	50.22%
	Nonpartisan	Lisa Neubauer	600,433	49.72%
		Scattering	722	0.06%
Plurality			5,981	0.50%
Total votes			1,207,569	100.0%	+21.06%

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (2020)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II Election, 2020[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
General Election, April 7, 2020
	Nonpartisan	Lisa S. Neubauer (incumbent)	231,788	53.99%
	Nonpartisan	Paul Bugenhagen, Jr.	196,958	45.88%
		Scattering	540	0.13%
Plurality			34,830	8.11%
Total votes			429,286	100.0%

References

1. "Neubauer announces candidacy for Wisconsin Supreme Court". SFGate. 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
2. "Judge Lisa Neubauer | Judge Neubauer for Justice". judgeneubauer.com. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
3. "Presiding Judge Lisa S. Neubauer". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
4. Hetzner, Amy (17 March 2008). "Political ties raise interest in state Appeals Court race". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
5. Burke, Michael (4 December 2007). "Racinian is first female judge on District II Court of Appeals". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
6. "Judge Neubauer retains Court of Appeals seat". Wisconsin Law Journal. The Daily Reporter Publishing Company. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
7. "Neubauer Appointed Chief Judge of Appeals Court, District Chiefs Appointed". Wisbar News. State Bar of Wisconsin. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
8. "State appeals court judge Lisa Neubauer announces run for Supreme Court". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
9. "Election Results". Wisconsin Vote. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
10. Vielmetti, Bruce (April 13, 2020). "Lisa Neubauer defeats Paul Bugenhagen, keeps seat on Court of Appeals". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
11. Canvass Summary, Spring General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. 2008-04-01. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
12. Canvass Results for 2014 Spring Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. 2014-04-01. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
13. "Election results and Wisconsin parties". Wisconsin Blue Book 2019-2020 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 2019. pp. 618–620. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
14. Canvass Results for 2020 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote - 4/7/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. May 4, 2020. p. 2. Retrieved May 15, 2020.

External links

• Lisa Neubauer at Ballotpedia
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Neubauer, Lisa at Our Campaigns

Legal offices
Preceded by Neal Nettesheim	Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II 2007 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by Richard S. Brown	Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals 2015 – present	Incumbent