Judge Randy Koschnick was appointed Director of State Courts by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, effective Aug. 1, 2017. He is the top non-judicial officer of the Wisconsin court system, serving at the pleasure of the Supreme Court under direction of the chief justice. Judge Koschnick is just the third person appointed Director since the position was formally created in 1978. He is the first former judge to have the job.
Working with the Supreme Court, department heads, advisory committees and boards, as well as chief judges of the state's nine judicial administrative districts, Judge Koschnick is responsible for personnel, budgeting, information technology and other functions for an organization of more than 800 employees statewide. Judge Koschnick also advises the Supreme Court on a wide range of administrative, budget and policy matters affecting the judiciary.
Prior to his appointment as Director, Judge Koschnick served 18 years as a Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge, including five years as Chief Judge of the Third Judicial Administrative District and 10 years as the county's presiding judge.
Judge Koschnick was first elected to the Jefferson County Circuit Court, Branch 4, in 1999, and was re-elected in 2005 and 2011. In 2008, he received the Wisconsin Law Journal's 2008 Leaders in the Law Award for implementing “…a number of significant changes, designed to save the taxpayers of Jefferson County money and enhance the public safety, while improving the speed at which cases are processed in the county."
Under his leadership, Jefferson County Circuit Court rose from 18th to 1st statewide for overall median case age at disposition within the first two years of his new case assignment plan. He has over 30 years of legal experience covering a broad spectrum of the law including Circuit Court Judge, public defender's offices, prosecutor's offices, and Board Member of the State Bar of Wisconsin Criminal Law Section.
Judge Koschnick's expertise in criminal law has recommended him to lecture at legal training seminars sponsored by the Wisconsin Judicial Education Office, as well as at the Wisconsin District Attorney's Conferences and the Wisconsin State Public Defender's Conferences.
