First Candidate Announces for Triggiano’s Judicial Seat

Court Commissioner Ana Berrios-Schroeder has become the first candidate to announce for the seat on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court currently held by Chief Judge Mary Triggiano.

Triggiano recently announced she has taken a job with Marquette University Law School’s Center for Restorative Justice and that her current term will be her last. The judges serving on the circuit court will vote to elect the next chief judge. Triggiano’s successor on the bench will be decided in the April 3 spring election.

Circuit Court Judges serve six-year terms in Wisconsin. Triggiano was first appointed to the circuit court in 2004 by former Gov. Jim Doyle.

Berrios-Schroeder has served as a Family Court Commissioner in Milwaukee County since 2001. A Milwaukee native, she has degrees from Marquette University, UW-Madison Law School and UW-Milwaukee.

“I’m running for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge in Branch 13 to ensure the system keeps us safer and serves people of all walks of life,” Berrios-Schroeder said in her campaign announcement. “We must provide better access to justice through more timely processing of cases, and a more aggressive focus on resources to combat domestic violence. I believe we also can do a better job providing certified translators.”

Prior to becoming a court commissioner, Berrios-Schroeder practiced law as an attorney in private practice and in the Milwaukee County Department of Child Support Services. A 2016 profile of Berrios-Schroeder in the Wisconsin Law Journal quoted her colleague in Family Court, Dean Zemel saying, “She was always incredibly prepared and the commissioners knew, when she was the attorney assigned to their calendar, that her part in the hearings would be handled professionally.” Another colleague, Lisa Allgood-Beal, praised her ability to calmly control a courtroom.

Berrios-Schroeder currently leads the family division, overseeing eight assistant commissioners and the deputy court commissioner.

“I never forget that there are real people that must live out the consequences of my decisions, that we must protect victims, and that everyone deserves a fair shot at justice,” Berrios-Schroeder said.

She is a member of a number of legal organizations including the Milwaukee Bar Association and Leander J. Foley Matrimonial Inns of Court, and served as president of the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association from 2003-2004.

At least one sitting judge has already publicly endorsed Berrios-Schroeder for the bench. Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Jean Kies said on Facebook that Berrios-Schroeder is “dedicated to the people of Milwaukee County and the State of Wisconsin.” Judge Kies added, “She will be a great judge!”

Berrios-Schroeder is married to a Marquette University Police Officer, Sergeant Glenn Berrios-Schroeder. In her announcement, Berrios-Schroeder said she “is the proud mother of a 16 year-old son, as well as to Glenn’s daughters.”

The primary for the spring election is Feb. 23. Candidates for Milwaukee County Circuit Court can begin circulating nomination papers on Dec. 1 and have until Jan. 3 to submit a declaration of candidacy and between 1,000 and 2,000 nomination signatures.