Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2007 and re-elected in 2017. On May 1, 2021, she was chosen by members of the Court to serve as chief justice. She is the 80th justice and the sixth woman to serve on the state's highest court since Wisconsin became a state in 1848.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Chief Justice Ziegler received her bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Business Administration from Hope College in Holland, Michigan in 1986. She earned her law degree from Marquette University in 1989. Chief Justice Ziegler received the Marquette Law School Alumna of the Year award in April, 2019, and also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Hope College in April, 2014.
Upon graduation from law school, Chief Justice Ziegler was in private practice where she engaged in civil litigation. She also served as a pro bono special assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County in 1992 and 1996. Immediately prior to serving as a circuit court judge, she was an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Before joining the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Ziegler served as a Washington County Circuit Court judge. She was appointed to the bench in 1997, elected in 1998, and reelected in 2004. She was the first female jurist in Washington County. As a circuit court judge, she was the deputy chief judge for the Third Judicial District and served six years as the presiding judge of Washington County. In 1999, Chief Justice Ziegler sat as a Court of Appeals judge in the District II Court of Appeals Judicial Exchange Program.
Chief Justice Ziegler currently serves on the Marquette University Law School Advisory Board. She is a member of the American Bar Association, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and an elected member of the American Law Institute. Chief Justice Ziegler is also a member of the International Women's Forum.
Chief Justice Ziegler previously served as a commissioner on the Wisconsin Commission on Uniform State Laws from 2016 to 2019 and as a member of the Governor's Juvenile Justice Commission from 2011 to 2016. She also served on the Wisconsin Judicial Council from 2014 to 2018 and the State Bar of Wisconsin Bench and Bar Committee from 2013 to 2018. She has been a member of a number of law-related organizations including Legal Association of Women and James E. Doyle Chapter of the American Inns of Court. Chief Justice Ziegler has been a faculty member at the Wisconsin Judicial College, and has served as faculty at a number of seminars.
Chief Justice Ziegler is also active in her community, volunteering for numerous charitable and social welfare organizations as a board member and committee chair. Chief Justice Ziegler is currently president of the Trustee Board for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Washington County.
Chief Justice Ziegler is married and has three children. Her current term expires July 31, 2027.
