William Pocan | |
|---|---|
| Judge of theMilwaukee County Circuit Court | |
| Assumed office July 14, 2006 | |
| Appointed by | Jim Doyle |
| Preceded by | Michael P. Sullivan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1961 (age 63–64) Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Relations | Mark Pocan (brother) |
| Education | University of Wisconsin–Parkside (BA) University of Wisconsin–Madison (JD) |
William S. Pocan Jr. (born 1961) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as deputy chief judge of the 1st district ofWisconsin circuit courts. He has served as a Wisconsin circuit court judge inMilwaukee County since 2006. In 2021, he wasnominated by U.S. PresidentJoe Biden to serve as aUnited States district judge for theEastern District of Wisconsin, but his nomination expired without a hearing at the end of the117th Congress.
William Pocan was born and raised inKenosha, Wisconsin. He attendedMary D. Bradford High School[1] and graduated early, entering college at age 16.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from theUniversity of Wisconsin–Parkside in 1981 and aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Wisconsin Law School in 1984.[3]
Pocan began his legal career at Brookhouse & Brookhouse inKenosha, Wisconsin, where he worked from 1984 to 1985. From 1985 to 2006, he was an associate at Jastroch & LaBarge.[4] In 2006, Pocan was appointed a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County by GovernorJim Doyle.[5][6][7] Pocan was subsequently elected to a full six-year term on the court in 2007, and was then re-elected twice without opposition. He was appointed deputy chief judge of the first district of Wisconsin circuit courts (Milwaukee County) in 2020.[7] At various times, Pocan presided over juvenile, civil, and felony division cases.[8]
In 2014, Pocan was one of three finalists recommended to PresidentBarack Obama by the bipartisan Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission to fill a vacancy on the federal district court bench, butPamela Pepper received the nomination instead.[8]
On December 15, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden nominated Pocan to serve as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.[9] Pocan was one of four finalists recommended to the president earlier in 2021 by the Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission.[7] Biden nominated Pocan to the seat vacated by JudgeWilliam C. Griesbach, who tooksenior status on December 31, 2019.[9]
On February 15, 2022, U.S. SenatorRon Johnson announced he would withhold hisblue slip, effectively blocking Pocan from receiving a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, despite having previously recommended Pocan in a letter to the White House on June 22, 2021.[10][11] On January 3, 2023, his nomination was returned to the President underRule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of theUnited States Senate.[12]
Pocan's father, William S. Pocan Sr., was an alderman on the Kenosha city council during the 1970s and 1980s.[13]
Pocan's younger brother,Mark Pocan, is a member of theUnited States House of Representatives forWisconsin's 2nd congressional district.[14] Both Pocan brothers aregay.[15][16]
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | General[17] | Apr. 3 | William S. Pocan (inc) | Nonpartisan | 40,917 | 50.21% | Chris Liegel | Non. | 40,097 | 49.20% | 81,497 | 820 |
| 2013 | General[18] | Apr. 3 | William S. Pocan (inc) | Nonpartisan | 60,343 | 98.40% | --unopposed-- | 61,326 | ||||
| 2019 | General[19] | Apr. 2 | William S. Pocan (inc) | Nonpartisan | 87,258 | 98.37% | 88,487 | |||||
| 2025 | General[20] | Apr. 1 | William S. Pocan (inc) | Nonpartisan | 187,988 | 98.61% | 191,095 | |||||
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael P. Sullivan | Wisconsin Circuit Court Judgefor theMilwaukee Circuit, Branch 26 July 14, 2006 – present | Incumbent |