Gov. Evers seeks o appoin replacemen

Pierce County Judge Joseph Boles announced his retirement in a letter to Gov. Tony Evers, asking the governor to act quickly in appointing his replacement.

Boles was first elected as Pierce County’s judge in 2010. Prior to that, he practiced law in River Falls. Boles is a UW-River Falls and William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul graduate.

Evers announced Monday that he is seeking applicants to replace Boles, whose retirement is effective Dec. 31. The new judge will complete a term ending July 31, 2022.

“It has truly been an honor and a pleasure to serve the citizens of our county and all those who have come before me over the past 10 years,” Boles wrote to Evers.

“I seek your assistance in an extremely important matter in our county related to my retirement. I respectfully request that you commence the process of appointing my successor in a timely manner so that the newly appointed Pierce County Circuit Judge can take office on or shortly after Jan. 1, 2021,” Boles wrote. Pierce County has a population of more than 42,000 citizens. This is a ‘single judge county,’ the most populous, I believe, having only one judge. With normal caseload and COVID issues, our calendar has become difficult to manage in terms of setting hearings in a timely way.

“In my judgment, it is imperative that my replacement be appointed as soon after my retirement as possible so that we do not get further behind in scheduling our cases.”

Boles offered to work with the governor’s selection committee.

Evers asked interested applications to email a completed application form and supporting materials to [email protected] wisconsin. gov. Applications must be submitted by 8 a.m. on Mon., Oct. 19, 2020.

The application to apply can be found on the 'Apply to Serve' page on Gov. Evers' website at: www.evers.wi.gov.

Potential applicants with questions about the judicial selection process may contact the Governor's Office of Legal Counsel at (608) 266-1212.