Gov. Evers Appoints Jay Pucek to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court

Jay Pucek. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers announced today his appointment of Jay Pucek to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court – Branch 34. The appointment will fill the vacancy being created by Judge Glenn H. Yamahiro’s retirement. Pucek will complete a term ending July 31, 2027.

“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,” said Gov. Evers.

Since April 2025, Pucek has served as the deputy director of the city of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, where he oversees civilian oversight functions of the Milwaukee Fire Department and the Milwaukee Police Department. From 2012 to 2017, he was an assistant district attorney in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, where he worked in the general crimes unit, prosecuting various types of cases, including armed robberies, burglaries, and attempted homicides. He was also a member of the community prosecution unit, where he worked with other criminal justice system partners to reduce crime in innovative ways. In November 2017, Pucek joined the Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office Appellate Division, where he represented indigent clients on appeal in criminal cases, mental health proceedings, guardianships, and termination of parental rights cases. In 2024, he moved to the trial division in West Bend, where he represented clients at the circuit court level.

“As a friend and colleague, Jay Pucek has always been a great sounding board,” said Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Jorge R. Fragoso. “He is intellectually curious, he’s fair, and he is capable of examining issues from many 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. I have no doubt that Jay will be a thoughtful, fair, and independent member of the judiciary.”

Pucek lives in Fox Point with his family and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville and the University of Wisconsin Law School. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, he served for four years as a police officer with the Platteville Police Department.

“I am honored and grateful to Gov. Evers for appointing me to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court,” said Pucek. “I have spent my whole professional life serving the people from a broad range of system roles. My guiding principles as a judge will be to protect people’s civil rights, to help protect democracy, and to hold power to account. 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.”

A photo of Pucek is available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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