Third Branch eNews

Judge Maria S. Lazar has been appointed presiding judge of District II of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, replacing Judge Mark D. Gundrum.

The July edition of The Third Branch reported that Judge Gundrum had been appointed to a one-year term beginning Aug. 1. Since then, Judge Gundrum has been appointed to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, requiring a greater time commitment to his military responsibilities. He decided to step back from the presiding judge position and will continue serving as a judge in District II.

Presiding judges oversee administrative operations within their districts while continuing to carry a full caseload. Their responsibilities include assigning cases, coordinating judicial panels, managing schedules, and addressing organizational, administrative, and staffing issues.

“I am honored and I look forward to serving the Court of Appeals and will continue to help provide clarity on the law to the public,” Judge Lazar said.

Judge Lazar was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2022 after serving seven years as a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge. During her time on the circuit court, she served as presiding judge of the criminal and juvenile divisions and was assigned to the county’s drug treatment court.

Before joining the bench, Judge Lazar served as an assistant attorney general in the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Special Litigation and Appeals Unit from 2010 to 2015. She previously spent more than 20 years in private practice, focusing on civil law.

Judge Lazar previously served on the Judicial Education Committee and the Wisconsin Judicial Conference Executive Committee. She also has taught as an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School and served as president of the Milwaukee Bar Association. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Mount Mary College and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

The presiding judges in the Court of Appeals’ other districts remain Judge Pedro A. Colón in District I, Judge Lisa K. Stark in District III, and Deputy Chief Judge Rachel A. Graham in District IV.