Racine County DA Michael Nieskes Appointed to Circuit Court

Update, 5 pm: If all goes according to a tentative timeline, Racine County District Attorney Michael Nieskes will take his new oath of office as a Circuit Court Judge before the end of the year. He is looking forward to starting this new chapter in his career.

"It is gratifying that the Governor has this confidence in me," Nieskes said. "I got the call at 8:30 this morning, and after I get a formal letter from his office, I will take the oath."

What follows then will be two weeks of mentoring with a current judge and assignment to civil court where there is an opening. Nieskes is the prosecutor of record for pending criminal cases in Racine County so he can't yet serve in the criminal division. He said he got the bench book so he can review and brush up on procedures, state law and functions of the civil court.

"You should see this book, it's pretty big," he added.

Once Nieskes takes his seat on the bench, Governor Walker will take applications to fill his seat. Nieskes said he fully expects his Deputy, Richard Chiapete, to apply for the job, but until the position is filled, Chiapete can run the DA's office with the full authority of the position.

"Richard is very qualified and I hope he gets it," Nieskes said.

Original Story: Racine County District Attorney Michael Nieskes has a new title: Your Honor.

On Tues., Dec. 13, Governor Scott Walker announced Nieskes new job. The former DA applied for the job after Judge Dennis Barry died in August, creating the vacancy. Three other : Timothy Boyle (Burlington); John Knuteson (Racine); and Michael Piontek (Racine).

Here is the full press release from the Governor's office:

Governor Scott Walker appointed Michael Nieskes to serve as judge for the Circuit Court of Racine County. Mr. Nieskes has almost 30 years of experience in law.

Mr. Nieskes has served as a prosecutor in several Illinois counties before becoming the Deputy District Attorney of Racine County. In 2004, he took office as Racine County District Attorney. He has a wide range of experience, dealing with everything from traffic citations to homicides.

“Mr. Nieskes comes to the court with a firm understanding of how the judicial system works,” Governor Walker said. “His invaluable experience will assist him as he seeks to clarify, not create, law.”

Mr. Nieskes earned a Bachelor of Arts from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Juris Doctor from the DePaul University School of Law. Mr. Nieskes was also involved in the initiation of a number of programs in the Racine justice system including a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court, a mental health diversion track for misdemeanor offenders and substance abuse treatment programming in jail.