Milwaukee District Court of Appeals Now Has All Female Judges

In an age when "first woman to..." stories have become less relevant, some may not have noticed that the four judges who make up the Milwaukee district of the Court of Appeals are, for the first time in the state, all women.

The court took its all-female turn in June, when Rebecca Bradley replaced the late Ralph Adam Fine on the court, joining Judges Joan Kessler, Patricia Curley and Kitty Brennan.

Some people, at least, perceive that it matters. Bradley said that when she was a finalist for the appointment by Gov. Scott Walker, one person told her, "You won't get it, because the court would be all women."

After hearing oral arguments last week in a criminal case involving search and seizure issues, the women of District 1 agreed to talk about their new situation at the court's chambers on the 10th floor of Plaza East.