New Milwaukee Judges Bring Civil and Criminal Legal Expertise

Jay Pucek and Malinda Eskra. Photos provided.

Gov. Tony Evers appointed two attorneys with markedly different legal backgrounds to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Monday.

Jay Pucek, deputy director of the city’s Fire & Police Commission, will replace retiring Judge Glenn H. Yamahiro in Branch 34.

Malinda Eskra, managing attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin’s Milwaukee office, will replace retiring Judge Paul Van Grunsven in Branch 9.

Both appointees will serve through July 31, 2027. The seats will appear on the nonpartisan April 2027 ballot, with the winners receiving six-year terms beginning Aug. 1, 2027.

Pucek has worked in several parts of the criminal justice system, including as a police officer, prosecutor and public defender.

“Jay Pucek’s breadth of experience as a prosecutor, a public defender and a police officer will serve the people of Milwaukee County well as their next circuit court judge,” Evers said in announcing the appointment.

Pucek joined the Fire & Police Commission in April 2025.

He previously worked as an assistant Milwaukee County district attorney from 2012 to 2017, prosecuting cases including armed robberies, burglaries and attempted homicides. He also served in the office’s community prosecution unit.

Pucek subsequently joined the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office, initially working in its appellate division. He transferred to the agency’s West Bend trial office in 2024.

Before becoming an attorney, Pucek spent four years as an officer with the Platteville Police Department. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and the University of Wisconsin Law School and lives in Fox Point with his family.

“My guiding principles as a judge will be to protect people’s civil rights, to help protect democracy, and to hold power to account,” Pucek said. “I look forward to serving as a circuit court judge who treats all people with fairness and respect and is committed to the rule of law.”

In Evers’ announcement, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Jorge Fragoso described Pucek as intellectually curious, fair and capable of examining issues from multiple perspectives.

“He has consistently been motivated by his ideals that the government should wield power with compassion, that its power requires it to be accountable, and that the people most closely affected by these vast systems should be respected and treated as individuals,” Fragoso said.

Pucek will succeed Yamahiro, Wisconsin’s first Asian American judge. Yamahiro, a former judicial court commissioner, joined the court in 2003 after being appointed by then-Gov. Jim Doyle. His current term was scheduled to run through 2028.

Eskra Raised on a Dairy Farm

Malinda Eskra brings experience in civil legal services, private practice and judicial clerkships to the bench.

Since 2023, she has led Legal Action of Wisconsin’s Milwaukee office. The nonprofit firm represents low-income residents facing legal issues involving housing, family stability, income, public benefits and access to employment.

“Malinda Eskra is an experienced and respected attorney who brings legal excellence, sound judgment, and a deep commitment to the community to the bench,” Evers said. “She will be an excellent judge for the people of Milwaukee County.”

Eskra previously was a shareholder at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, where her practice focused on commercial litigation, appellate advocacy and employee benefits disputes. Her clients included businesses, government pension funds and multiemployer pension funds.

Earlier in her career, Eskra clerked for U.S. District Judge William Callahan and Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Kitty Brennan.

“My career has given me a deep appreciation for the role courts play in people’s lives and for the importance of ensuring that everyone who comes before the court is treated with fairness, dignity and respect,” Eskra said. “I look forward to bringing my experience and commitment to public service to the bench, and to approaching the work with care, humility, and an open mind.”

Brennan said Eskra’s career gives her “a rare understanding of both the legal system and the people it serves.”

Raised on a dairy farm, Eskra now lives in Milwaukee with her husband and two children. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University Law School.

Eskra has served on the boards of the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness and the Seventh Circuit Bar Association. She also served as secretary of the Neighborhood House of Milwaukee board and president of the Association for Women Lawyers.

She will succeed Van Grunsven, who joined the bench in 2004 after Doyle appointed him to replace Louis Butler. Van Grunsven’s current term was scheduled to run through 2029.