Paul B. Higginbotham

Paul B. Higginbotham (born October 14, 1954) is a retired Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He was the first African American to serve on the court.[1]

The Honorable Paul B. Higginbotham
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV
In office September 1, 2003 – July 31, 2017
Appointed by	Jim Doyle
Preceded by	Patience D. Roggensack
Succeeded by	Michael R. Fitzpatrick
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Dane Circuit, Branch 17
In office August 1, 1994 – September 1, 2003
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	James L. Martin
Personal details
Born	October 14, 1953 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Residence	Madison, Wisconsin
Education	University of Wisconsin (B.A.) University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D.)

Biography

Higginbotham was born on October 14, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2] His father was a civil rights activist and marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Wisconsin Law School and is a resident of Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Though the judicial offices held were officially non-partisan, he is a Democrat.

Career

From 1985 to 1986, Higginbotham was an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was later a member of the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Law School. From 1992 to 1993, he served as City of Madison, Wisconsin Municipal Judge. He was the a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge from 1994 until joining the Court of Appeals in 2003.[2] That year he ran for election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but was defeated in the February primary election with the seat ultimately going to Patience D. Roggensack. Judge Roggensack's elevation created a vacancy on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, and Governor Jim Doyle appointed Judge Higginbotham to the empty seat. Judge Higginbotham won re-election without opposition in 2005 and 2011. In May 2016, Higginbotham announced that he would not seek re-election to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the 2017 Wisconsin Spring Election.[3][4]

Redistricting commission

After a 2011 redistricting law, passed by a partisan Republican legislature and signed by a Republican governor, Wisconsin became one of the worst gerrymandered states in the country.[5][6] In July 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced the creation of a redistricting commission in an effort to create a nonpartisan alternative to the contentious process that had resulted in years of legal challenges and disputes. Evers appointed Judge Higginbotham, along with retired judges Janine P. Geske and Joseph Troy, as a panel to select the members of the proposed redistricting commission.[7]

Electoral History

Wisconsin Circuit Court (1994, 2000)

Wisconsin Circuit Court, Dane Circuit, Branch 17 Election, 1994[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 5, 1994
	Nonpartisan	Paul B. Higginbotham	35,864	73.86%
	Nonpartisan	Hamdy Ezalarab	12,691	26.14%
Total votes			'48,555'	'100.0%'

Wisconsin Circuit Court, Dane Circuit, Branch 17 Election, 2000[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 4, 2000
	Nonpartisan	Paul B. Higginbotham (incumbent)	49,239	100.0%
Total votes			'49,239'	'100.0%'

Wisconsin Supreme Court (2003)

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 2003[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Primary Election, February 18, 2003
	Nonpartisan	Patience D. Roggensack	109,501	39.36%
	Nonpartisan	Edward R. Brunner	89,494	32.17%
	Nonpartisan	Paul B. Higginbotham	77,584	27.89%
		Scattering	1,604	0.58%
Total votes			'278,183'	'100.0%'
General Election, April 1, 2003
	Nonpartisan	Patience D. Roggensack	409,422	51.13%
	Nonpartisan	Edward R. Brunner	390,215	48.73%
		Scattering	1,148	0.14%
Total votes			'800,785'	'100.0%'

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (2005, 2011)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV Election, 2005[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 5, 2005
	Nonpartisan	Paul B. Higginbotham (incumbent)	165,592	99.68%
		Scattering	527	0.32%
Total votes			'166,119'	'100.0%'

Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV Election, 2011[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, April 5, 2011
	Nonpartisan	Paul B. Higginbotham (incumbent)	316,583	99.44%
		Scattering	1,795	0.56%
Total votes			'318,378'	'100.0%'

References

1. "Higginbotham, Paul B." Our Campaigns.com. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
2. "Judge Paul B. Higginbotham". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
3. State Appeals Court Judge Paul Higginbotham Wouldn't Seek Re-Election, Wisconsin State Journal, Ed Trevelen, May 18, 2016
4. "Higginbotham Ending Judicial Career". The Post-Crescent. May 19, 2016. p. A9. Retrieved March 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Kertscher, Tom. "On whether Wisconsin is the most gerrymandered state". PolitiFact. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
6. Gilbert, Craig (December 6, 2018). "New election data highlights the ongoing impact of 2011 GOP redistricting in Wisconsin". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
7. Schmidt, Mitchell (July 10, 2020). "Gov. Tony Evers appoints judges to select members of redistricting commission, application process opens". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
8. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". In Barish, Lawrence S. (ed.). State of Wisconsin 1995-1996 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 880. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
9. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". In Barish, Lawrence S.; Meloy, Patricia E. (eds.). State of Wisconsin 2001-2002 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 902. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
10. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 2003-2004 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 891. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
11. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections" (PDF). State of Wisconsin 2005-2006 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 895. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
12. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections" (PDF). State of Wisconsin 2011-2012 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 877. Retrieved February 24, 2020.