The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that reviews contested decisions of the Wisconsin circuit courts. The Court of Appeals was created in August 1978^[1] to alleviate the Wisconsin Supreme Court's rising number of appellate cases. Published Court of Appeals opinions are considered binding precedent until overruled by the Supreme Court; unpublished opinions are not. The Court hears most appeals in three-judge panels, but appeals of circuit court decisions in misdemeanor, small claims, and municipal ordinance cases are decided by a single judge.

Quick Facts Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, Established ...

Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
Established	August 1978
Jurisdiction	Wisconsin
Location	Milwaukee (District I) Waukesha (District II) Wausau (District III) Madison (District IV)
Composition method	Non-partisan election from within judicial district
Authorized by	Wis. Const. Art VII § 5 Wis. Stats. Chapter 752
Appeals to	Supreme Court of Wisconsin
Appeals from	Wisconsin circuit courts
Judge term length	Six years
Number of positions	16
Website	www.wicourts.gov/courts/appeals/
Chief Judge
Currently	Maxine Aldridge White
Since	August 1, 2023
Deputy Chief Judge
Currently	Lisa K. Stark
Since	August 2, 2015
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The Court of Appeals comprises 16 judges elected to six-year terms in four geographic districts. Districts I and II have four judges each, three judges are chambered in District III, and five in District IV. The court is administered by a chief judge, appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, who is assisted by a deputy chief judge and a presiding judge in each district. Vacancies on the court are filled by gubernatorial appointment; following the appointment of a judge, a new election for that seat is scheduled in the next Spring election in which no other Appeals Court seat in that Appeals Court District is up for election, unless that election occurs less than five months from the date of the appointment.^[2]

• District I is chambered in Milwaukee and contains only Milwaukee County.
• District II is chambered in Waukesha and contains Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago counties.
• District III is chambered in Wausau and contains Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Forest, Iron, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vilas, and Washburn counties.
• District IV is chambered in Madison and contains Adams, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Monroe, Portage, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood counties.

• Courts of Wisconsin