Marisabel Cabrera (born December 12, 1975) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. She is a Wisconsin circuit court judge in

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, containing about 1 ...

, since August 2024. She previously served three terms in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 9th Assembly district The 9th Assembly district of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Located in southeast Wisconsin, the district is entirely contained within Milwaukee County. It comprises the village of West Milwaukee and part of ...

from 2019 to 2024.

Biography

Born and raised in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

's south side, Cabrera graduated from Nathan Hale High School in 1993. She earned her bachelor's degree from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, in Spanish and Latin American Iberian Studies, and earned her J.D. from

Michigan State University College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a Public university, public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College o ...

in 2002. She was admitted to the state bars of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and worked as an immigration attorney in private practice and with the non-profit group Voces de la Frontera ("Voices from the Border"). She is the former chair of the Milwaukee Police and Fire Commission and the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public edu ...

Latino Caucus. For her work with the Latino Caucus, she was recognized by the Democratic Party of

with the 2016 Rising Star Award. In 2018, she successfully challenged incumbent Assemblymember Josh Zepnick in a Democratic

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

, after losing an earlier attempt in 2016. She was elected without opposition in the 2018 general election. In 2017, Zepnick had been accused of sexually harassing two female colleagues; he had been stripped of his committee assignments and Assembly privileges but refused to resign. In the Assembly, Cabrera serves on the committees on the Judiciary, International Affairs and Commerce, Small Business Development, Consumer Protection, Constitution and Ethics, and State Affairs. In October 2023, Cabrera announced that she would run for a

Wisconsin circuit court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 9 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and crimina ...

judgeship in Milwaukee County, to succeed the retiring judge Marshall B. Murray. Cabrera narrowly won the election in April 2024, and took office as a judge in August 2024.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2016–2022)

Wisconsin circuit judge (2024)

References

External links

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Voces de la Frontera
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cabrera, Marisabel 1975 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Women state legislators in Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee Lawyers from Milwaukee Florida lawyers University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Michigan State University College of Law alumni 21st-century American women politicians LGBTQ state legislators in Wisconsin LGBTQ people from Wisconsin Bisexual women politicians Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Wisconsin American bisexual women American bisexual politicians 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature