The Sconi

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers announced today his appointment of Mark A. Huesmann to the La Crosse County Circuit Court – Branch 3. The appointment will fill the vacancy being created by Judge Todd W. Bjerke’s retirement, effective July 31, 2023. Huesmann will complete a term ending July 31, 2024.

“As a veteran and through his work with the veteran community, as professor and resource for students in our UW System, and as a court commissioner and municipal court judge, Mark Huesmann has demonstrated a profound commitment to justice and service in our state,” said Gov. Evers. “His decades of experience and dedication will make him an excellent judge for the people of La Crosse County.”

For the past 16 years, Husemann has served as a court commissioner for Judge Bjerke, and since 2020, he has served as the Coulee Region Joint Municipal Court judge. For more than two decades, he has also operated his own law office as a general practice trial attorney, representing clients in the areas of employment and business law, real estate, bankruptcy, criminal defense, family law, and personal injury. Outside of the courtroom, Huesmann teaches at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-La Crosse in the College of Business as an adjunct instructor and now as a professor. He has also been an attorney advisor for the UW-La Crosse Student Life Office, where he provides legal advice and assistance to students.

“Mark Huesmann has a passion to follow and apply the rule of law,” said Judge Bjerke. “He strives to achieve and promote fairness and equity through his work as an attorney, a court commissioner, a university instructor, and a municipal judge. These are all fundamental attributes of a good judge. Mark is acutely aware of how poverty, homelessness, and race, among other issues, deeply affect people who appear in court for both criminal and non-criminal matters. He is dedicated to solving issues within the rule of law and in an equitable way that litigants, victims, and family members or friends can understand.

Huesmann received a bachelor’s degree from UW-Milwaukee and then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the University of North Dakota School of Law. While in high school, Huesmann became involved with the United States Army Reserves and retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. During his service, he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, and he received the Bronze Star for his service in 2011. Due to his military background, Judge Bjerke asked Huesmann to join the initiative to develop a veterans treatment court in 2009, and the treatment court came to fruition in 2010. This work also resulted in the creation of the La Crosse Area Veteran Mentor Program, for which Huesmann has served as both a legal advisor and a member of the board of directors. He will take over the veterans treatment court upon Judge Bjerke’s retirement.

“I am grateful and humbled by this opportunity to serve the people of La Crosse County as a circuit court judge,” said Huesmann. “As the son of immigrants and a military veteran, I understand hard work and sacrifice and the importance of upholding the rule of law in a fair, compassionate, and even-handed way. Many that come into the court system, whether they are crime victims, offenders, or children and families in need of protection or services, struggle with substance abuse, mental health, or trauma. We need to address these issues from multiple angles to achieve positive outcomes for the community. My predecessor, Judge Bjerke, has filled that role for years and I intend to bring that same level of respect and dignity for all into the courtroom.”

A photo of Huesmann is available here. 

An online version of this release is available here.

Original source can be found here.