Third Branch eNews

Hon. Ellen Brostrom

Milwaukee County Circuit Court

Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Ellen Brostrom will retire on May 3 after 15 years on the Branch 6 bench. She was first elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2015 and 2021.

“The biggest challenge I faced as a judge was the very heavy homicide sentencings over which I presided in Milwaukee County,” said Brostrom, reflecting on her time on the bench. “Balancing the pain of the victims with the due process rights of the defendants was always difficult.”

She said she is most proud of her reputation for hard work, legal excellence, and respect for the parties, their families, and the attorneys who have appeared before her. She advises new judges to never pretend they know the answer if they do not.

“Ask the lawyers to educate you as officers of the court,” she said. “Ask them to brief it so you can educate yourself and make sound legal decisions.”

Brostrom said she would miss her colleagues once she retires but plans to keep in touch. “I have made such wonderful friendships while on the bench. Those friends are here in Milwaukee County, but also statewide through my service as a Dean of the Judicial College.”

After stepping down from the bench, she plans to work in private civil litigation practice as a mediator, arbitrator and referee.

Hon. Thomas Vale

Green County Circuit Court

Green County Circuit Court and District Five Chief Judge Thomas Vale retired on April 5. Vale had served on the Branch 2 bench since being elected in 2009 after the Legislature approved a second branch in Green County.

Prior to becoming a judge, Vale worked in private practice for 27 years and served as a city attorney in Albany, New Glarus and Monticello. He was appointed chief judge of the Fifth Judicial Administrative District in 2020. He had previously served as the deputy chief judge for District Five, and as a member of the Planning and Policy Advisory Committee (PPAC).

“People don’t always appreciate (the work of the courts) if they are not involved in the system,” Vale told the Monroe Times after announcing his plan to retire. “We’re effective and we can move cases on average quicker than the big counties do. And they say ‘justice delayed is justice denied’.”

In retirement, Vale told the Monroe Times he plans to spend more time with family, including his two grandchildren.