New appointments picked for Judicial Selection Advisory Committee.

• Date: 03 March 2023

Byline: WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL STAFF

Gov. Tony Evers has announced the membership of the Governor's Judicial Selection Advisory Committee for his second term.

The committee is responsible for interviewing and recommending candidates to the governor for consideration when he fills judicial vacancies. During his first term, Evers appointed 43 judges to vacancies on circuit courts and appellate courts across the state. More than half of Evers' appointees have been women, and more than one-third have been people of color.

The committee includes the following members:

Mel Barnes (co-chair) is Gov. Evers' Chief Legal Counsel. Prior to her role in the Governor's Office, she served as staff counsel at Law Forward, a nonpartisan litigation firm committed to advancing and protecting democracy in Wisconsin. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW Law School, Barnes was also previously the Legal and Policy Director of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.

Benjamin Wagner (co-chair) is a civil trial lawyer and a shareholder at Habush Habush & Rottier. He graduated magna cum laude from the UW Law School and received the Phillips Owens Memorial Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement and community service. Wagner is an active community advocate in Milwaukee, a past-president of the Wisconsin Association for Justice, 2021 recipient...