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Law Day is a poignant reminder of the indispensable role that law plays in preserving and protecting our liberties, ensuring justice for all, and fostering a society governed by fairness and equality, writes Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler.

Jeff Brown profiles Gwendolyn Lindsay Cooley, assistant attorney general for antitrust with the Wisconsin Department of Justice. For the next several issues, Wisconsin Lawyer will profile women lawyers who continue to make history in the tradition of Lavinia Goodell, the first woman admitted to the Wisconsin bar.

U.S. Attorneys bring and defend cases in federal district court on behalf of the federal government. This article highlights U.S. Attorneys' civil work, describing some of the matters handled in the Western District of Wisconsin.

Ralph Cagle left an indelible impression on the legal profession in Wisconsin, says Larry Martin, including by founding the State Bar's G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy.

Nancy Kopp says Lavinia Goodell was a person of diverse interests and accomplishments, even beyond becoming Wisconsin's first woman lawyer in 1874.

This article, focusing on Congress's consideration of the Wisconsin-statehood bill, is the final article in a short series by the Hon. Hannah Dugan honoring the 175th anniversary of Wisconsin's admission as the 30th state in the United States on May 29, 1848.

It is with sadness that the State Bar of Wisconsin reports the passing of Past President Ralph Cagle on Dec. 4, 2023. A long-time U.W. law professor, he is remembered by many as a mentor, teacher, colleague, and friend.

A striking addition to the lobby at the State Bar of Wisconsin Center in Madison is a monument to both access to justice and the dedication and impact of rural and small-town lawyers.

Larry Martin says courthouses must be preserved and safeguarded.

This article, focusing on Wisconsin's two constitutional conventions, is the third in a short series by the Hon. Hannah Dugan honoring the 175th anniversary of Wisconsin's admission as the 30th state in the United States on May 29, 1848.

The Wisconsin Statutes provide that the governor can remove district attorneys "for cause." But the definition of "for cause" is not clear. The author suggests an answer to the question of the breadth of the governor's removal powers.

This article, focusing on Wisconsin's "Enabling Act," is the second in a short series honoring the 175th anniversary of Wisconsin's admission as the 30th state in the United States on May 29, 1848. Watch for future articles by the Hon. Hannah Dugan.

This article, focusing on the creation of the state of Wisconsin, is the first in a short series honoring the 175th anniversary of Wisconsin's admission as the 30th state in the U.S. on May 29, 1848. Watch for future articles by the Hon. Hannah Dugan.

Justice Patience Roggensack will retire from the Wisconsin Supreme Court on July 31. Legal writer Jeff Brown spoke with her about her tenure and legal career.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court finds most compelling constitutional arguments that consider constitutional text and historical evidence informing how that text was understood when it was adopted. Here is a four-step process for crafting persuasive arguments when advancing claims rooted in the Wisconsin Constitution.

Two opinions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022, Dobbs and Bruen, were notable because they signaled that a majority of the justices are ready to change the path of judicial lawmaking in the United States.

Christopher Krimmer says it seems possible that the analysis in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization could be extended to non-abortion-related substantive-due-process rights, such as same-sex marriage, despite some justices' reassurances to the contrary. 95 Wis. Law. 30 (Dec. 2022)

An annual tradition for the Racine County Bar Association creates a sense of community for its new members, while connecting the past with the future.

The author delves into and suggests how to harmonize law, technology, and democracy, especially as they relate to personal freedoms enshrined in the U.S. and state constitutions and as balanced with the public welfare.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Keller v. State Bar of Cal., 496 U.S. 1 (1990), in which the Court upheld a challenge to a mandatory state bar association, remains good law, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has held.

Like all new lawyers, Jim Shellow needed guidance and support during the early years of his practice. In the nearly six decades since, he has become a formidable criminal defense attorney, thanks to his mentor.

A work two years in the making, the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers has published the histories of 11 pioneering Black Wisconsin lawyers. Find out more about these lawyers, and why it is important to keep their history alive.

For the first time in the State Bar of Wisconsin's 143-year history, women hold all six of its officer positions. Women also now represent the majority on its Board of Governors. This article provides a glimpse of the State Bar's efforts to increase participation of women in bar leadership, with perspectives from many of the women who were involved along the way.

Women achieved parity in law school classes more than three decades ago, yet the numbers today show that women are underrepresented in positions of power and influence in law firm and corporate legal environments. Why is that?

Women have made great strides in the legal profession in the almost 150 years since a woman was first admitted to the bar in Wisconsin. But as this overview of Wisconsin's judiciary makes clear, equal involvement of women is yet to be achieved in some parts of the judicial system.

Women have tackled thorny issues that led to the reshaping of Wisconsin laws affecting civil rights, property, marriage, employment, and education. Here is a look at five women who persevered in the face of social and political opposition to improve women's lives in ways that reverberate today.

As her tenure as this publication's editor ends, Joyce Hastings reflects on the story of the full integration of women in the legal profession.

Thanks to a team of Wisconsin lawyers, you can now take a walking tour in Janesville that follows in the footsteps of Lavinia Goodell, Wisconsin's first woman lawyer.

Thanks to a team of Wisconsin lawyers, you can now take a walking tour in Janesville that follows in the footsteps of Lavinia Goodell, Wisconsin's first woman lawyer.

The U.S. Census is conducted every 10 years and, like clockwork, redistricting battles follow. Here is a brief history of redistricting in Wisconsin and what to expect once the 2020 census data is in.

Read how Abraham Lincoln prevailed in a major property dispute against one of Wisconsin's greatest lawyers and eventually gained an important ally to his presidential administration.

Although Wisconsin ratified the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, the ERA has never been officially ratified, and many younger Americans might not even know of its existence. The author explores the ERA's history and looks at other efforts to achieve fuller gender equality under the law.

Larry Martin encourages you to join the State Bar and the Wisconsin Law Foundation to support the siting of a statue of Vel Phillips on the State Capitol grounds.

Missouri’s legal history includes slaves’ struggle for freedom and women’s fight for the right to vote. Learn more about the Old Courthouse and other sites for legal tourism as Emily Kelchen talks about the history she learned during a recent visit to St. Louis.

Larry Martin says "The History of Wisconsin's Black Lawyers," a new publication from the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers, captures the struggles and successes of 11 black lawyers who came before us.

In a small tavern in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, you can find an outline of a body on the floor and a special gun kept by the tavern's owners for public viewing. Anne Ertel Sawasky takes a tour of the filming locations for the award-winning 1959 film, Anatomy of a Murder, starring Jimmy Stewart.

When she leaves the bench in July, Justice Shirley Abrahamson will have served 43 years on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, capping a career as the first woman on the court and the longest-serving justice in state history. Here's a brief look at her legacy.

Celia Jackson reflects on Black lawyers who left lasting impressions.

When Wisconsin fought over the Fugitive Slave Act, its early U.S. Attorney put himself firmly on the side of slave owners. That type of stance changed with the creation of the U.S. Department of Justice, which, under the direction of President Ulysses Grant and U.S. Attorney General Amos. T. Ackerman, engaged in a battle to take down the Ku Klux Klan.

Steven DeVougas remembers Vel Phillips as inspiring lawyers to boldly lead and serve, to do more and become more.

In this tribute, Hon. Joan F. Kessler writes Margo let women law students see, in real life, the possibilities that were opening to women.

The Seventh Circuit's decision to re-interpret Title VII challenges traditional approaches to statutory interpretation that should put Seventh Circuit litigants on notice of future uncertainty.

Wisconsin is home to the first anti-trafficking campaign in United States history. This campaign, against what was then called “white slavery,” arose in response to the thriving sex trade that developed around the prosperous logging and mining industries of Northern Wisconsin in the 1880s.

James Santelle shares his experiences working with U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

Fifty years ago, in summer 1966, the Wisconsin Supreme Court (4-3) decided an antitrust case that allowed the Milwaukee Braves to relocate to Atlanta. Former Marquette Law Professor J. Gordon Hylton tells this baseball story.

Decided in June 1966, the landmark decision in Miranda v. Arizona, requiring police to give suspects “Miranda warnings,” turns 50 years old this month. In this article, criminal defense attorney Marcus Berghahn revisits Miranda as its stands today.

When changes are necessary to better serve their clients, improve access to justice, or simply make their work easier, lawyers can be pretty progressive. These 100 technological, intellectual, and practical innovations have fundamentally changed the way law is practiced.

Aug. 5, 2015 – There’s no need to dread researching legislative history. Research Wisconsin Legislative History is a printable eight step guide, with a list of print and online sources for each step on the back, to assist you with your research.

June 3, 2015 – HeinOnline contains centuries of legal documents just as they appear and in full text. Learn how to quickly use this legal database available through the Wisconsin State Law Library.

March 4, 2015 – The stage premiere of a play on the life and career of Janesville attorney Lavinia Goodell comes to Madison on March 19-21. The story, about overcoming barriers and stereotypes, is one that applies to each of us, says Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson.

Feb. 4, 2015 – It took an act of Legislature for one lawyer to practice law before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Who she was and how she forged a path for the future of the practice of law in Wisconsin is the subject of a play that will be staged for the for the first time next month. The play explores the life and influence of the first woman licensed to Wisconsin’s bar, Lavinia Goodell.

John Skilton explains why the Magna Carta is deemed the bedrock of American Constitutional history.

Help the State Bar of Wisconsin send a bill to the governor’s desk, which would return first-time, nonviolent 17-year-old offenders to juvenile court jurisdiction.

Now that the State Bar of Wisconsin has introduced its new Our Courts Wisconsin program, groups are lining up to request that one or more of the presentations come to their city or county.

At some time in Wisconsin's history, society's perception of weapons and how they were carried changed. A person could go virtually unnoticed walking down Main Street in 1872 with a holstered weapon on his or her hip, but the same cannot be said today. While frontier folks feared concealed weapons, contemporary residents have the same reaction to openly carried weapons.

Given Lincoln’s sympathy for the right of workers to “put into their mouths the bread that their own hands have earned,” he might well have supported organized labor’s cause and changes in the free labor doctrine if he had lived after the Civil War. Wisconsin promptly assimilated the free labor doctrine into its legal system at statehood, and the doctrine has continued to influence Wisconsin law to the present day. This the last in a three-article series that examine the legal connections between Lincol

Feb. 12, 2009, was the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Lincoln arguably did more than any other individual to shape America. He influenced and was influenced by powerful legal and political currents that continue to play a vital role in shaping American law, including the law of Wisconsin. This is the second of three articles that examine the legal connections between Lincoln and Wisconsin.

February 12, 2009 is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Lincoln arguably has done more than any other individual to shape America. He influenced and was influenced by powerful legal and political currents that continue to play a vital role in shaping American law, including the law of Wisconsin. This is the first of three articles that will examine the legal connections between Lincoln and Wisconsin.

Fairchild tempered his early belief in the free labor doctrine right of individuals to act for themselves free of governmental help and hindrance with the later belief in the imperative of serving the public and persons less fortunate. He believed these persons, these "soldiers in the great war of commerce," should be helped if, despite their best efforts, they came out as losers in that war.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, throughout 2003 the Wisconsin Lawyer will include "From the Archives," a monthly column devoted to lively snippets from past issues.

Join us as the Wisconsin Lawyer celebrates 75 years in print - from our debut in September 1927 to the present. Explore the path we traveled to bring readers a nationally acclaimed, professional journal.

Skim through the magazine over the years and you'll gain a glimpse of history and societal trends. Editorial board volunteers and magazine staff conducted a decade review of key topics and social issues covered in 75 years of Wisconsin Lawyer. Here's a brief look at some of their findings.

An ancestor's journal provides insights into Civil War-era Crawford County. Dealton Tichenor practiced law for 10 years before his death in 1864 as a Union prisoner of war in Andersonville Prison, Georgia.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Roujet D. Marshall believed that individual and societal happiness could best be achieved through a system in which a person's success or failure rested primarily with the individual, not society. His philosophy of individual opportunism was at loggerheads with the Progressives' philosophy of society's rights taking precedence over the rights of individuals.

To commemorate the State Bar's 125th anniversary in 2003, this article looks at some of the key events, issues, and personalities that shaped the State Bar from the late 1950s, an era of activity and energy that would surpass anything seen in the organization's first 80 years.

To commemorate the State Bar's 125th anniversary in 2003, this article looks at some of the key events, issues, and personalities that shaped the State Bar from the late 1950s, an era of activity and energy that would surpass anything seen in the organization's first 80 years.

Winslow pleaded with judges and the public for constructive conservatism, arguing that laws should be reformed through the legislative process and not through court decisions. To do otherwise would stretch the unchanged constitution on a Procrustean bed to fit the desired reform.

Why and how did Wisconsin's attorneys come together to form an association in 1878? To commemorate the State Bar's 125th anniversary in 2003, this article looks at some of the key events, issues, and personalities that caused the formation of the State Bar and helped to set its course for future generations.

The views of Justice John B. Cassoday, like the views of his Puritan forebears, were a curious mix of conservatism and progressivism: of belief in individual self-determination and of concern for the common good of all individuals. The Yankee viewpoint played a major role in Wisconsin legal history even before Cassoday's time and continues to shape our state's legal system today.

Known as Wisconsin's first great judicial conservative, Luther S. Dixon defended the ideal of legal order against calls for quick legal and social change in a variety of areas during his political career. Because he often defended unpopular causes, each of Dixon's reelection campaigns became a battle for survival.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, throughout 2003 the Wisconsin Lawyer will include "From the Archives," a monthly column devoted to lively snippets from past issues.

Charter members of the State Bar Association and Gilson Glasier.

A study of Justice Byron Paine's life is indispensable to understanding how the Republican ideal took root in Wisconsin and how it evolved during the state's industrial era following the Civil War. This is the second in a series of articles that will appear through 2003 to commemorate Wisconsin's legal history.

While Ryan deeply believed in a decentralized agrarian society in which any concentration of power was evil, his love of law as an instrument of order led him to defend the imperfect federal constitution as still the "political hope of mankind ... in a world in which nothing is perfect."