Michael T. Sullivan (July 18, 1924 – March 20, 2007) was an American lawyer and judge. He was a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals for 12 years, after serving nearly 30 years as a trial court judge in Milwaukee County.

The Honorable
Michael T. Sullivan
Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I
In office
August 1, 1984 – July 31, 1996
Preceded byJohn A. Decker
Succeeded byPatricia S. Curley
Chief Judge of the 1st district of Wisconsin Circuit Courts
In office
August 1, 1978 – December 15, 1979
Preceded byHoward J. DuRocher
(Wisconsin courts)
Succeeded byVictor Manian
Chief Judge of the 4th district of Wisconsin courts
In office
October 1975 – July 31, 1978
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAllan J. Deehr
(Wisconsin Circuit Courts)
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 11
Acting
In office
August 1, 1981 – July 1983
Preceded byChrist T. Seraphim
Succeeded byChrist T. Seraphim
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 21
In office
August 1, 1978 – January 1, 1980
Preceded byTransitioned from County Court
Succeeded byClarence R. Parrish
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 2nd Circuit, Branch 2
In office
September 1953 – October 9, 1963
Appointed byWalter J. Kohler Jr.
Preceded byRonold A. Drechsler
Succeeded byMax Raskin
County Judge for Milwaukee County, Branch 2
In office
October 9, 1963 – July 31, 1978
Appointed byJohn W. Reynolds Jr.
Preceded byRoy R. Stauff
Succeeded byTransitioned to Circuit Court
Personal details
Born(1924-07-18)July 18, 1924
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
DiedMarch 20, 2007(2007-03-20) (aged 82)
Cause of deathPost-polio syndrome
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
SpouseJeanne
ChildrenMichael T. Sullivan Jr.
Education
Professionlawyer, judge

Early life and education

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Sullivan was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1] As a child, he developed paralysis due to the Polio virus, which left him reliant on crutches and wheelchairs for nearly his entire life.[2] He would graduate from Marquette University and earned his J.D. from the Marquette University Law School. He returned to school later in life and received his LL.M. in taxation from UIC John Marshall Law School in 1972.[3]

Judicial career

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In 1953, at age 28, Sullivan ran for Wisconsin Circuit Court in the Milwaukee-based 2nd circuit. He challenged incumbent Judge Ronold A. Drechsler, who had been appointed in 1952 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge Daniel W. Sullivan. At the time of the election, a poll of the Milwaukee Bar Association senior membership found that 96.7% did not think Michael Sullivan was qualified for the job. However, the membership may have been somewhat biased by the fact that Judge Drechsler was a past president of the organization. Nevertheless, Sullivan won a narrow victory in the April election, carrying 52% of the Milwaukee county electorate and defeating Judge Drechsler by about 10,000 votes. At the time, some local journalists attributed his win to the fact that he shared the name "Sullivan" with the recently deceased judge, although there was no known familial relation.[4] Sullivan was then appointed to begin his term early when Judge Drechsler was appointed to a different judicial vacancy in September 1953.

Judge Sullivan was re-elected in 1959, but left the circuit court in October 1963, when he was appointed County probate court Judge by Governor John W. Reynolds Jr. Although the circuit court would appear to be a more prestigious appointment within the state judiciary, the probate court offered more patronage opportunities and was therefore seen as a more lucrative position for Sullivan's personal advancement.[5] He remained in that office for the next fifteen years.

Court reorganization

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In the mid-1970s, the Wisconsin Supreme Court began experimenting with organizational reforms to the state court system and, in 1975, set up 14 judicial administrative districts—each with a chief judge tasked with managing judicial assignments for circuit and county judges in the district and supervising court schedules.[6] Judge Sullivan was elected Chief Judge for the Milwaukee district by a vote of his colleagues, but, within a year, his attempts to apply the new powers prescribed by the Supreme Court led to significant pushback from judges in Milwaukee County—who questioned both Judge Sullivan's methods and the constitutional authority of the state Supreme Court to impose such rules on the judges.[7][8]

The need for reform, confronted by the objections of the judges, necessitated a legislative and constitutional solution. This controversy resulted in the 1977 referendums on amendments to the Constitution of Wisconsin which created the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, gave new powers to the state Supreme Court, and enabled the legislation which flattened the county and circuit court system. Throughout the reorganization process, Judge Sullivan was outspoken as an advocate for judges in the discussion, offering his suggestions for the reorganization plan and identifying flaws that needed to be addressed in the new system.[9] Following the judicial reorganization plan, the Milwaukee County court was combined with the 2nd circuit to create the Milwaukee Circuit court. Judge Sullivan transitioned from a Milwaukee County judge to a judge for the Milwaukee circuit, effective August 1, 1978. Judge Sullivan was also selected to remain in his role as Chief Judge for the Milwaukee district—with the chief judges now appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[10]

After a year of the new system, however, Judge Sullivan announced his plan to resign, effective January 1, 1980, for personal reasons.[2] Over the next several years, Sullivan continued to serve as a reserve judge, and became a full time acting judge for Branch 11 of the Milwaukee circuit when Judge Christ T. Seraphim was suspended for misconduct in office.[11][12] In 1982, he solicited appointment to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the event of Justice John Louis Coffey's appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, but Governor Lee S. Dreyfus instead appointed Louis J. Ceci.[11]

Bail-for-profit dispute

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In the month before his 1979 resignation, Judge Sullivan received an informal reprimand from the state Ethics Board. The reprimand resulted from Judge Sullivan's complaints against two state legislators, Speaker Edward Jackamonis and Edward F. McClain, who he accused of interfering in the judiciary. He also publicly accused fellow Milwaukee judge Fred Kessler, himself a former-legislator, of conspiring with the Assembly leadership to circumvent his ruling which had enabled bail for profit operations in the state.[13] Sullivan ultimately withdrew his complaints, but the Ethics Board scolded him for the public nature of his complaint, saying that his actions were "contrary to the Ethics Code's purpose of promoting faith and confidence of the people of this state in their state public officials."[14]

Court of Appeals

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In 1984, Judge Sullivan was elected to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He was re-elected in 1990, but was defeated in 1996 by Circuit Court Judge Patricia S. Curley, though he continued to serve as a reserve judge.

Family and personal life

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Over the course of his life, Judge Sullivan donated 257 pints of blood. Having contracted poliomyelitis during childhood, Judge Sullivan died of post-polio syndrome. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jeanne. They had one son, Michael, Jr., who followed his father into the legal profession.[3]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Circuit Court (1953, 1959)

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Wisconsin Circuit Court, 2nd Circuit, Branch 2 Election, 1953[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 7, 1953
Nonpartisan Michael T. Sullivan 104,171 52.79%
Nonpartisan Ronold A. Drechsler (incumbent) 93,145 47.21%
Total votes 197,316 100.0%
Wisconsin Circuit Court, 2nd Circuit, Branch 2 Election, 1959[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 7, 1959
Nonpartisan Michael T. Sullivan (incumbent) 79,641 100.0%
Total votes 79,641 100.0%

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (1984, 1990, 1996)

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Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 1984[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 3, 1984
Nonpartisan Michael T. Sullivan 142,582 100.0%
Total votes 142,582 100.0%
Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 1990[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 3, 1990
Nonpartisan Michael T. Sullivan (incumbent) 76,055 100.0%
Total votes 76,055 100.0%
Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District I Election, 1996[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, February 6, 1996
Nonpartisan Patricia S. Curley 38,023 45.19%
Nonpartisan Michael T. Sullivan (incumbent) 37,875 45.02%
Nonpartisan Lew A. Wasserman 8,238 9.79%
Total votes 84,136 100.0%
General Election, March 19, 1996
Nonpartisan Patricia S. Curley 136,650 66.97%
Nonpartisan Michael T. Sullivan (incumbent) 67,386 33.03%
Total votes 204,036 100.0%

References

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  1. ^ "Michael T. Sullivan". Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Chief judge in Milwaukee resigns". Stevens Point Journal. Milwaukee. November 24, 1979. p. 5. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Michael T. Sullivan". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. March 22, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2020 – via Legacy.com.
  4. ^ "The Value of a Name In Wisconsin Politics". Racine Journal Times. April 10, 1953. p. 20. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Judge Sullivan Shifted; Raskin Named to Bench". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. October 9, 1963. p. 4. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Pommer, Matt (June 30, 1975). "High Court Sets Up 14 Judicial Districts". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Equal Say Urged By State Judges". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Madison, Wisconsin. May 1, 1976. p. 3. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Otto, Dave (April 12, 1976). "What Happens When Judges Don't Obey Court's Dictates". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 3. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Seymour, Peter B. (May 6, 1977). "Appeals judges elected by the spring election?". The Capital Times. Milwaukee. p. 3. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Bardwell in 5th district post". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. July 6, 1978. p. 29. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Sullivan seeks court position". The Post-Crescent. Milwaukee. July 22, 1981. p. 40. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1983). "The judicial branch". The state of Wisconsin 1983-1984 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 581. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "Circuit judge accused of violating court rule". The Capital Times. Milwaukee. June 20, 1979. p. 3. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Judge scolded by ethics board for public complaint". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. November 7, 1979. p. 16. Retrieved September 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1954). "Parties and elections: the judicial and nonpartisan elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1954 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 773. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  16. ^ Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1960). "Wisconsin state party platforms and elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1960 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 705. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  17. ^ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1985). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1985-1986 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 880. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  18. ^ Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1991). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1991-1992 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 881. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  19. ^ Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1997). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1997-1998 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 871–872. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
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Legal offices
Preceded by
Ronold A. Drechsler
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the 2nd Circuit, Branch 2
September 1953 – October 9, 1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Roy R. Stauff
County Judge for Milwaukee County, Branch 2
October 9, 1963 – July 31, 1978
Court abolished
Position created Chief Judge of the 4th district of Wisconsin courts
October 1975 – July 31, 1978
Succeeded by
Allan J. Deehr
(Wisconsin Circuit Courts)
Preceded by
Howard J. DuRocher
(Wisconsin courts)
Chief Judge of the 1st district of Wisconsin Circuit Courts
August 1, 1978 – December 15, 1979
Succeeded by
Victor Manian
New circuit Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 21
August 1, 1978 – January 1, 1980
Succeeded by
Clarence R. Parrish
Preceded by
Christ T. Seraphim
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Milwaukee Circuit, Branch 11
(Acting)

August 1, 1981 – July 1983
Succeeded by
Christ T. Seraphim
Preceded by Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I
August 1, 1984 – July 31, 1996
Succeeded by