Wisconsin Judicial Commission

Donald A. Daugherty, Jr. is Senior Litigation Counsel for the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies, an education reform organization based in Washington D.C. Don has over 30 years of experience in trial and appellate litigation and has been a partner at three of Wisconsin's largest law firms. He has been recognized as among the "Best Lawyers in America" and Wisconsin's "Super Lawyers." Don earned his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia. Before entering private practice, he clerked for the Hon. Roger J. Miner on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He has served on the boards of numerous civic and charitable organizations, including as President of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association. Don is licensed to practice law in Wisconsin. He has been admitted to practice before federal district courts across the country, including the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, as well as the Second, Seventh, Ninth, and Federal Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Don has served on the Commission since August 2021.

Analiese Eicher has served on the Dane County Board of Supervisors for six years and has served for over seven years as a member of the Plan Commission for the City of Sun Prairie. She earned her bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison and has led numerous efforts and initiatives to protect and expand voting rights, bolster government transparency, and increase access to higher education. Eicher has served on the Commission since 2024.

Roberta Gassman has had decades of top leadership at all levels of government - in a president’s administration, a governor’s cabinet, and as a top aide to another governor, a mayor, and a county executive. She has also served as a bank’s Senior VP, on UW’s social work faculty, as its Honorary Fellow, and as an Emeritus Board Member. A community leader, Gassman has chaired Madison’s Community Foundation Board, and has been on the boards of United Way, Edgewood College, the Overture Center, Madison’s Equal Opportunities Commission, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison Repertory Theater, Downtown Madison, Inc., and the Rotary Club of Madison. She has won the Wisconsin Women in Government’s Legacy Award, Distinguished Alumni Awards from her grad school and high school, and the Rotary’s Humanitarian Service Award. Gassman was named a YWCA Woman of Distinction, and UW created a distinguished lecture series and fund in her name. She was appointed to the Commission in March 2024.

John T. Hendricks is a retired educator who served in numerous educational, administrative, and community-based roles throughout his career. Hendricks worked for 15 years as a teacher in the School District of Onalaska. He then transitioned to the Sparta Area School District (SASD), where he served as an administrator and superintendent. Outside of the classroom, Hendricks has served as a longtime member of the Wisconsin Arts Board and has spent time coaching young adults with developmental disabilities. Hendricks was named to lead the Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce in 2017, and served as a member of the SASD board of education from 2021 to 2024.He began his service on the Commission in 2024.

Thomas Hruz has served as a judge on District III of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals since September 2014. Previously, he was a shareholder at Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols, S.C., where his practice focused on civil litigation, with an emphasis on appellate work. Judge Hruz received his undergraduate degree from UW-Milwaukee, summa cum laude, his master’s degree from UW-Madison, and his law degree from Marquette University, magna cum laude. After graduation, he served as a law clerk for Judge John Coffey of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and for Justice David Prosser of Wisconsin Supreme Court. Judge Hruz is a past chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin and has served on numerous organizations, include the Wisconsin Judicial Council, the WisTAF Board of Directions, and the Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission. He also continues his longstanding service as a Regional Coordinator for the State Bar of Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament. Judge Hruz has served on the Commission since August 2023.

Mary Beth Keppel recently completed 12 years of service on the Board of Directors of Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center, and had previously served as president on that Board. She retired from the practice of law in 2012 and resigned her law license in 2013. Keppel was a Dane County Court Commissioner for 25 years, served as a Dane County prosecutor for 10 years, and acted as a staff attorney with Dane County Legal Services. Keppel is a past president of the Wisconsin Family Court Commissioners Association, the Dane County Bar Association, and the Dane County Attorneys Association. While president of the Dane County Bar, she initiated the establishment of a courthouse clinic for unrepresented family law litigants. From 2003 until 2008, Keppel served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Board of Bar Examiners, which evaluates the character and fitness of lawyers seeking admission to the bar and grades the bar exam. She served two terms on the Board of Directors for the State Bar’s Family Law Section. In 2012, Keppel received the Margo Melli Award from the Legal Association of Women for her contributions to women in the law. She has served as a math and reading tutor for dyslexic students and as an election official since her retirement. Keppel was appointed to the Commission in January 2022, and has served as the chair of the Commission since September 2024.

Rhonda Lanford is a Dane County Circuit Court Judge, elected in 2013 to preside over Branch 16. She is currently on the civil rotation for the Dane County courts. She is the chair of the Civil Benchbook Committee, and the presiding judge in the civil division. Judge Lanford graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1996 where she held the esteemed position of Editor-in-Chief of the Wisconsin Law Review. She competed on the National Moot Court appellate advocacy team, and received numerous law school awards, including the award for best student article in the Wisconsin Law Review. As an attorney, Judge Lanford was a recognized legal leader in Dane County and Wisconsin. She has been rated AV (preeminent) by her peers in Martindale Hubbell, is a member of the Martindale Hubbell bar register of preeminent women lawyers, and her AVVO rating is "superb." Year after year, as an attorney, Judge Lanford was named a Super Lawyer by Wisconsin Law & Politics. Out of the thousands of lawyers in Wisconsin, Judge Lanford was recognized as a Wisconsin Top 50 Lawyer and a Wisconsin Top 25 Female Lawyer. Madison Magazine recognized Judge Lanford as a Madison Top 25 Lawyer and she was also honored as a Leader in the Law by the Wisconsin Law Journal. Judge Lanford taught law for over thirteen years as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Topics include trial advocacy, evidence, ethics, civil procedure, negotiations, depositions, pretrial practice and lawyering skills. She co-founded U.W. Law School’s nationally acclaimed Mock Trial Program and coached teams in competitions around the country. Judge Lanford also has extensive experience teaching professionals, including her peers at judicial education seminars in areas such as evidence, expert testimony and numerous other topics. She has taught in Wisconsin and nationally on topics such as evidence, ethics and case law developments. Judge Lanford has served on the Commission since August 2025.

Chris Meuler is a member of the Litigation practice group for DeWitt Law Firm, LLP. He brings more than 20 years of experience to the firm handling litigation matters, including insurance coverage, state and federal appeals, defamation, contract disputes, business torts and professional liability, real estate, and compliance issues. He also possesses experience in matters involving eminent domain, public bidding, and election law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and a B.A. from Marquette University. Chris is admitted to practice in Wisconsin and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer® since 2013. Mueler has served on the Commission since August 2025.

Barbara Notestein is currently a member of the City of Milwaukee Ethics Board. She is a Wisconsin native and a Beloit College graduate with a Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan. After her graduation, she worked as a social worker and served as the executive director of Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee. Notestein then served seven terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly (from 1985 to 1999) and was elected by her colleagues as the first woman assistant majority leader. In 2000, she was appointed to serve as the Midwest Regional Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Following her service with the SBA, Notestein worked for over 10 years as the executive director of Safe & Sound, an organization dedicated to building safe and healthy neighborhoods, expanding community resources, and supporting young people, and, in 2011, was recognized as a White House Champion of Change for her work at Safe & Sound. She was appointed to the Judicial Commission in March 2024.