Jim Habeck:
CLASS OF 1972
Woodstock Community High SchoolClass of 1972
Woodstock, IL
University of WisconsinClass of 1976
Stevens point, WI
New Glarus Elementary SchoolClass of 1968
New glarus, WI
Jim's Story
College
Served as Sports Editor on college newspaper for about two years, where I met my future wife, Penny Gillman. That allowed me to be involved with a wide variety of people - those I worked with generally different from those I covered. Exception was Tom Enlund, who wrote sports for me, was a starting basketball forward, and later covered the Bucks for the Milwaukee Sentinel. Senior year worked for News Service on sports promotion. After first semester of 2.75, I caught on and finished about 3.6, good enough for law school at Marquette. Those were the three longest years of my life! Flunked out 30% of my class - very demanding study regimen. Practicing law and now being a judge has been much easier! At UWSP, lived in Burroughs Hall and off campus. We still go back for homecoming and some basketball games. GO Pointers! Also saw Marquette beat Pittsburgh at Minneapolis NCAA tournament in 2003. In 2004, UW SP won the national Div. 3 basketball title and had a Shawano player whose parents sell me insurance.
Workplace
My first year out of law school, I worked in Sheboygan Falls and Howards Grove halfway between Green Bay and Milwaukee. My boss wanted me to take financial risks, so I moved to Shawano, where my dad grew up and relatives live.
In the fall of 1980, I set up shop and grossed $33 the first two months! Did better after that.
In 1983, our judges named me to be Family Court Commissioner, where I made judicial decisions in that field on a part time bas...Expand for more
is. I was the youngest in Wisconsin then, but not when I finished in June, 2002. Fellow commissioners elected me as a statewide association officer for setting up seminars, legislative contact and other activities.
During the 1980's I also went from part time prosecutor to part time county corporation counsel on civil law matters.
That led to my being hired by the WI Towns Assn. in 1987, where for 15 years I conferred with local government officials by phone. Eventually we added computers and faxes. I wrote articles, taught at meetings, and told a few jokes. There were more laughs from my true life stories!
When Judge Schmidt retired in 2002, I won a six way primary election with 46% of the vote, then took the spring election by a 63-37% margin. Among municipalities, 37-1-1. What a great, but demanding experience! For years before that I had attended seminars and worked for various candidates, including our current Republican congressman, Mark Green.
As a trial court judge, I enjoy almost every day. Have cut backlog delay for jury cases, but getting cases actively managed is facing some resistance. Some work is repetitious, but enough is challenging to keep things interesting, and I work with many good people. Also, I now gross more than $33 weekly! However, reasons for humility remain.
After my first year, I believed my administration produced an orderly circuit court setting. Then a juror asked my court reporter for instructions - to the CIRCUS court.
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Yearbooks
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Reunions
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