Martin Joseph Donald (born February 8, 1959) is an American lawyer and a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Milwaukee-based District I. Donald was appointed to the court in September 2019 by

Wisconsin Governor The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

Tony Evers. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Donald served 13 years as a Wisconsin Circuit Court judge in

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

Life and career

Donald was raised in Milwaukee and Shorewood. His mother worked as a housekeeper for Richard D. Cudahy, a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Their families were close, and Judge Cudahy served as a mentor to Judge Donald in his youth. Donald graduated from Marquette University in 1982 and Marquette University Law School in 1988. He subsequently served from 1988 to 1989 as a law clerk for the Wisconsin Circuit Court in

. From 1989 to 1996, Donald was an assistant city attorney in the Milwaukee City Attorney's Office. In 1996, Donald was appointed by Governor Tommy Thompson, a Republican, to a vacant seat on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court. His oath was administered by his mentor, Judge Cudahy. Donald was elected to a six-year term on the court in 1997 and reelected in 2003, 2009, and 2015, without opposition. Judge Donald was instrumental in establishing the Milwaukee County Drug Treatment Court in 2009 and served as its first judge. The Drug Treatment Court was designed to use a system of rewards and penalties to redirect more people from jail toward treatment and recovery. From 2015 to 2019, Donald served as a deputy chief judge of the court under chief judge

Maxine Aldridge White Maxine Aldridge White (born 1951) is an American attorney and judge. She is a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Milwaukee-based District I court, serving since 2020. She is the first African-American woman to serve on the Wisconsin ...

. In 2016, Donald sought election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court but placed third in the February primary, behind incumbent Justice Rebecca Bradley and Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg. Judge Donald was endorsed in this race by former United States Senator

Herb Kohl Herbert H. Kohl (born February 7, 1935) is an American businessman and politician. Alongside his brother and father, the Kohl family created the Kohl's department stores chain, of which Kohl went on to be president and CEO. Kohl also served as a ...

. On September 4, 2019, Donald was appointed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers to a vacant Court of Appeals judgeship in Milwaukee. Donald succeeded the retiring Judge Kitty K. Brennan.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1997, 2003, 2009, 2015)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 1, 1997 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 1, 2003 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 7, 2009 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 7, 2015

Wisconsin Supreme Court (2016)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, February 16, 2016 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 5, 2016

References

External links

Judge M. Joseph Donald
at Wisconsin Court System
Martin Joseph Donald
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Milwaukee County Drug Treatment Court
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donald, Martin Joseph 1959 births Living people Lawyers from Milwaukee Wisconsin lawyers People from Shorewood, Wisconsin Marquette University alumni Marquette University Law School alumni Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges Wisconsin state court judges African-American judges 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people