Paul Lundsten is an American lawyer and retired judge. He served as a state Assistant Attorney General and as a judge on the

Wisconsin Court of Appeals The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that reviews contested decisions of the Wisconsin circuit courts. The Court of Appeals was created in August 1978 to alleviate the Wisconsin Supreme Court's rising number of appe ...

for the

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

-based District IV court serving 24 counties.

Early life and career

Lundsten was born on August 11, 1955, in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

. He earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in accounting 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 1980, and went on to obtain his J.D. from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Public university, public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1868, the school is guided by a ...

graduating with honors in 1983. The same year he graduated from law school, Lundsten was hired by

Bronson La Follette Bronson Cutting La Follette (February 2, 1936 – March 15, 2018) was an American Democratic lawyer and politician. He was the 36th and 39th Attorney General of the state of Wisconsin and was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Wisconsin ...

, then Wisconsin's

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

, to serve as an Assistant Attorney General in the

Wisconsin Department of Justice The Wisconsin Department of Justice is a state law enforcement agency with jurisdiction throughout the state of Wisconsin. Its headquarters are in Madison, the state capital, with main offices in the Risser Justice Center in downtown Madison. The ...

. Lundsten would continue to work as an assistant attorney general until his appointment to the Court of Appeals in 2000, serving under two more attorneys general: Don Hanaway and

Jim Doyle James Edward Doyle Jr. (born November 23, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Wisconsin from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he narrowly defeated incumbent Republican governor Scott M ...

. At the Department of Justice, he was initially assigned to the

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

Fraud Control Unit. Over his 17 years at the department, he worked on various fraud investigations and consumer protection cases, becoming a specialist in handling criminal cases before state and federal appellate courts, including 25 cases he argued before the State Supreme Court.

Judicial career

On October 31, 2000, Governor

Tommy Thompson Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American politician who served as the 19th United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005 in the Presidency of George W. Bush, cabinet of President of the United State ...

appointed Lundsten to the

to replace retiring Judge William Eich. Judge Lundsten was elected to a full term in 2001, defeating attorney Charlie Schutze, and was subsequently re-elected without opposition in 2007 and 2013. In his contested 2001 race, he was endorsed by a broad coalition of Republicans and Democrats, including then Republican Governor Tommy Thompson and then Democratic State Attorney General Jim Doyle. In 2019 he announced he would not seek a fourth term. He retired from the court July 31, 2019.

Personal life and family

Lundsten is married with three children. Lundsten has completed several marathons and has qualified for the Boston Marathon, running that race in 1996.

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 3, 2001

References

External links

Official Wisconsin courts bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lundsten, Paul Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges Wisconsin lawyers University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni 1955 births Living people