Evers appoints Tanner Kilander to Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 38, filling Wagner retirement vacancy

Appointment fills Branch 38 seat through July 2027

Gov. Tony Evers has appointed Milwaukee attorney Tanner Kilander to serve as a judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Branch 38, positioning her to take over a seat being vacated by the retirement of Judge Jeffrey A. Wagner.

The appointment was announced Feb. 27, 2026. Kilander will complete the remainder of the term for the Branch 38 judgeship, which runs through July 31, 2027. Wagner is scheduled to retire March 13, 2026, after decades on the bench.

Professional background centered on juvenile and child welfare matters

Kilander is a sole practitioner at Kilander Legal Services, focusing on representation for indigent clients in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Her legal experience includes work as a Milwaukee County Children’s Court intake attorney and service as an assistant state public defender, representing parents and youth across a broad range of juvenile proceedings.

In addition to courtroom work, Kilander has provided training to attorneys, social workers and organizations—an aspect of her career that intersects with Milwaukee County’s complex juvenile and family court dockets, where multidisciplinary practice and familiarity with community-based resources are frequently central to case outcomes.

• Appointed to: Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Branch 38
• Vacancy created by: retirement of Judge Jeffrey A. Wagner (effective March 13, 2026)
• Term to be completed: through July 31, 2027

Education and community legal service initiatives

Kilander is a graduate of Marquette University and Marquette University Law School. During law school, she helped found the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics, an initiative that provides free civil legal advice in the community. She has also received the Howard B. Eisenberg Service Award, which recognizes service and dedication to public interest law.

Kilander has described her career as spanning nearly three decades of public service in Milwaukee County, first as a social worker and later as an attorney, and said she intends to bring those experiences into her work on the circuit court.

How judicial vacancies are filled in Wisconsin

Milwaukee County is Wisconsin’s First Judicial District and has the largest circuit court in the state, with dozens of branches. Wisconsin circuit court judges are typically elected to six-year terms in nonpartisan spring elections. When a vacancy occurs mid-term, the governor appoints a replacement to serve until the next election cycle applicable to that seat, after which the office can be contested by voters.

Kilander’s appointment places her in a branch that is part of the county’s general circuit court structure, which handles a wide range of matters across criminal, civil, family and juvenile jurisdictions, depending on judicial assignments and calendaring practices within the courthouse.