Evers' judges: Amber Raffeet August

​"Evers' judges" is our effort to present information about Gov. Tony Evers' appointees to the bench. The information is taken from the appointees' own judgeship applications.
 
Italics indicate direct quotes from the application.​ Typos, including punctuation errors, come from the original application even though we have not inserted “(sic)” after each one. WJI has left them as is.

Name: Amber Raffeet August
 
Appointed to: Milwaukee County Circuit Court
 
Appointment date: May 25, 2023 (term ends July 31, 2024) 
 
Education:
Law School – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Undergraduate – University of Wisconsin-Madison
High School – Dominican High School, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin
 
Recent legal employment:
August 2022-present – Assistant Family Court commissioner, Milwaukee County
February 2018-July 2022 – Staff attorney, Guardian ad Litem Division, Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee
May 2015-February 2018 – Immigration and family law attorney, RISE Law Center, project of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin
May 2013-May 2015 – Associate attorney, Grzeca Law Group, S.C., Madison office for Milwaukee firm
 
Bar and administrative memberships:
State Bar of Wisconsin
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)
 
General character of practice:
I am currently an Assistant Family Court Commissioner in Milwaukee County. Prior to my appointment, as a staff attorney in the guardian ad litem division of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, I represented the legal best interest of children from indigent families in Milwaukee County in family law proceedings such as divorce, paternity and child abuse restraining orders. As a guardian ad litem, I performed investigations for the Court and made recommendations as to legal custody and physical placement or in the context of a restraining order, recommendations related to its granting or not. My position required me to interact with many different individuals such as parents, grandparents, teachers etc. and also many different agencies, such as Child Protective Services (CPS), law enforcement and therapists' offices. This position required me to wear many different hats and to be extremely responsive to the Court and the families I worked with, versatile and creative in solutions that lead to the best outcome for the children whose interest I represented.
 
Prior to my position at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, I was an immigration and family law attorney at RISE Law Center. At RISE, I provided pro bono and low bono representation to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in family court proceedings, immigration cases and restraining order hearings throughout the State of Wisconsin. Because I was both an immigration and family law attorney, I had a special focus on cases that involved an overlap of immigration proceedings and processes and Family Court. RISE Law Center is a project of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin which also allowed me to include policy and other initiatives related to domestic violence in my practice.
 
Describe typical clients:
Currently, I am an Assistant Family Court Commissioner. Prior to my appointment, I was a staff attorney in the guardian ad litem division at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee where I represented the legal best interest of children from indigent families in Milwaukee County. As such, I did not have "clients" per se, but rather represented the children's best interest in family law proceedings, including restraining orders. The children in the cases where I was a guardian ad litem were very diverse culturally, racially and ethnically. They came from all different parts of Milwaukee County and had different needs such as special educational needs or mental health service needs. I saw each child as unique and worked diligently to represent their interests and assisted the Court officials in making orders related to legal custody and physical placement that supported the children's safety and well-being. The parties in my guardian ad litem cases were also indigent and typically one or both of the parties was a self-represented litigant. Through my practice, I became very adept at communicating and working with self-represented members of the community.
 
In my previous position at RISE Law Center, I represented survivors of violence in their family law and immigration proceedings. These clients were women and men typically leaving abusive relationships or situations who were from all over the world and from all different walks of life. In terms of specialized areas, I specialized in guardian ad litem/family law practice, immigration law with a special emphasis on humanitarian immigration cases, cases that have both family law and immigration law implications and issues related to domestic violence. I also am fluent in written and spoken Spanish and was able to communicate with parents, clients, and children in both English and Spanish. Many of my cases involved Spanish speaking individuals.
 
Number of cases tried to verdict: Approximately 30
 
List up to three significant trials, appeals, or other legal matters in which you participated as a judge or lawyer in the past seven years:
All of the approximately 30 cases that I tried to verdict as an attorney were bench trials in family law proceedings in Milwaukee County Circuit Court such as contested paternity actions, divorces or child abuse restraining orders. I am extremely proud of the work that I completed in these cases as a guardian ad litem and believe that through my dedication, positive results have occurred in the wellbeing and best interest of the children I served and represented. I am also proud of the work I continue to do as an Assistant Family Court Commissioner presiding over family actions and domestic abuse and harassment injunction hearings. The Court decisions in these cases have all had a significant impact on the individual families and children involved. I would be more than happy to discuss more about these proceedings verbally, however, I want to make sure that I protect the confidentiality and interest of the minor children that I served as guardian ad litem and individuals I continue to serve as an Assistant Family Court Commissioner and because of that am only providing the few details listed above in written form.
 
Experience in adversary proceedings before administrative bodies:
As an immigration attorney, I mostly focused on family based immigration cases and humanitarian immigration cases; however, I did also assist in cases in Immigration Court. When the federal government opened the family detention facilities in Artesia, New Mexico in 2014, I traveled with a group of volunteer attorneys from Madison to provide pro bono representation to women and children who were detained at the facilities. While there, I mostly represented the families in bond proceedings where I was arguing to the immigration judges who were being broadcast in remotely from other states such as Colorado, why the families should be released and trying to obtain a reasonable bond for them to post.
 
These were adversary proceedings where the assistant chief counsels were arguing very strenuously for the families to remain detained. I was able to successfully argue multiple bond cases and help families be released from detention to continue to process their asylum cases and claims outside of ICE custody.
 
Beyond that trip, I also assisted in immigration cases at both Grzeca Law Group and RISE Law Center that had administrative agency components and aspects that involved immigration court proceedings.
 
Describe your non-litigation experience (e.g., arbitration, mediation).
In April of 2018, I received my certification in Family Mediation from the University of Wisconsin­Milwaukee School of Continuing Education. In my current role, I cannot formally lead mediations; however, I use the skills from that mediation certification in conjunction with multiple years of working with individuals in high stress situations to resolve many contentious family law cases in front of me as an Assistant Family Court Commissioner. I am proud to say that I excel at helping parties to reach resolutions that allow me to fulfill my duties as a Court official, while at the same time helping to preserve the overall fair functioning of the Family Court system for all interested parties.
 
Position or involvement in judicial, non-partisan, or partisan political campaign, committee, or organization:
Volunteer for Judge Danielle Shelton’s campaign for Milwaukee County judge, 2019
 
Previous runs for public office: Not Applicable
 
All judicial or non-partisan candidates endorsed in the last ten years:
Danielle Shelton, Circuit Court Judicial Position, 2019
Brittany Grayson, Circuit Court Judicial Position, 2019, 2020
Kori Ashley, Circuit Court Judicial Position, 2021
Ana Berrios-Schroeder, Circuit Court Judicial Position, 2022
 
Professional or civic and charitable organizations:
Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers (WAAL), member and roles including president, 2014-present.
Wisconsin Law Foundation, fellow, Spring 2022-present
Wisconsin Family Court Commissioners' Association, member, Fall 2022-present
Leander J. Foley Jr. Society of Family Lawyers, member, Fall 2022-present
State Bar of Wisconsin, Board of Governors, Executive Committee member and other roles, July 2021-July 2022
Women In Focus, Inc., member, Fall 2014-Spring 2021
Community Immigration Law Center, board of directors, 2015-2018
State Bar of Wisconsin, G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy, 2016-2017
Dane County Bar Association, Law for the Public Committee, 2013-2018
Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison, member, 2014-2018
Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County, member, 2014-2018
American Immigration Lawyers Association, member, 2013-2018
Milwaukee Bar Association, member, February 2018-December 2018; September 2021-present
Law Alliance, 2017-2018
 
Significant pro bono legal work or volunteer service:
 
Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers (WAAL)
Through the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers (WAAL), I established and volunteered with the WAAL Pathfinders Legal Clinic where volunteer attorneys met with at risk youth at Pathfinders Milwaukee to provide pro bono limited legal services. I also established and continue to run WAAL's annual Halloween costume drive where WAAL in conjunction with other Dane County organizations provide requested costumes to the homeless children at the YWCA Madison in their shelter, Third Street program (mothers and children under the age of 5) and Empower Home program (mothers and children escaping domestic violence). Since I joined the board of directors of WAAL in 2017, I have assisted in the planning and execution of our annual VelanDale Scholarship Event where African­American students from the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School are awarded scholarships to further their law school education. WAAL held its 30th Annual VelanDale Scholarship event virtually on September 23, 2021, and as President-Elect I served as the chair of the event. This event is named after the civil rights icons Vel and Dale Phillips.
 
Women In Focus. Inc.
While in Women In Focus, Inc., I frequently participated in the group's literacy program that provided monthly activities and books for the mothers and children at the YWCA Madison. I also established a series of Little Free Libraries throughout the North Side of Madison to encourage children's reading. I was the literacy committee chair from 2016-2018 for Women In Focus. Lastly, Women In Focus' largest annual event is the "I Have a Dream Ball" where the organization raises money for scholarships for students of color in Dane County to pursue a college education. I participated.in the planning and organizing of that event from 2014 to 2021. To date, Women In Focus, Inc. has awarded over $500,000 in scholarships to students of color in Dane County.
 
Community Immigration Law Center
 I was a member of the Community Immigration Law Center's board of directors from 2015-2018. Even before joining the board, I was an active volunteer providing pro bono legal services to individuals at CILC's weekly immigration clinics starting in 2014. I also assisted in grant writing, scheduling and recruiting volunteers for the clinics and any other assistance the organization needed.
 
Quotes:
 
Why I want to be a judge;
I have dedicated my law career to helping to better the lives of others in my community. Being a Circuit Court Judge would be an extension of that work because so many in the Milwaukee community struggle with poverty and other systemic challenges that bring them into contact with the court system. As an Assistant Family Court Commissioner, strive to treat everyone in my courtroom as someone who deserves dignity and respect regardless of their circumstances as they seek access to justice. I would continue this approach as a Circuit Court Judge. These values were instilled in me early in my life growing up in the city of Milwaukee and I believe it is important to remember that the people in our courtrooms are not just names on a docket sheet; they are our neighbors, coworkers, and fellow citizens. While those of us who work at the courthouse may be used to seeing these individuals on their worst day, I think it is important to remember that we cannot know their whole story—their struggles (such as mental illness or drug addiction or just a series of rough breaks) and their successes. I believe that this viewpoint—which I have honed through years of public interest practice and through my current position as a Court Commissioner—is vital to being a good judge.
 
While I know it may not always be possible, it is my goal in every case to try to see each individual as their whole person. This would include the good and the bad, the strengths and the weaknesses. I think it is important that judicial officials continue to take a holistic view of individuals in cases and my experiences leading up to this point make me extremely good at this task. Through my work representing survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault at RISE Law Center, I saw people at their most vulnerable and scared. I was able to support them and recognize that they were more than just their most traumatic experiences. This is similar to decisions I make as a Court Commissioner and would make as a Circuit Court Judge when deciding how to best protect members of the community or victims of crimes. Judges must be willing to try and see the whole person, to discern what is needed and to have the courage to act decisively.
 
In my previous position as a staff attorney in the guardian ad litem division at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, I honed my ability to connect with diverse clientele and to make them feel comfortable while they are going through difficult circumstances in the Court system. Finally, as the Immediate past president of the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers (WAAL), I think it is vitally important that our community members of color have decision makers that look like them—not only because it enhances the fairness and legitimacy of our judicial proceedings, but also because it can inspire others to see pathways toward access and opportunity they may not have previously imagined.
 
Describe which case in the past 25 years by the Wisconsin Supreme Court or U.S. Supreme Court you believe had a significant positive or negative impact on the people of Wisconsin.
I cannot think of a single case that has had more of an immediate impact—in terms of moving us closer to a more fair and just society—than United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S. 744 (2013). In this case, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional. This is the landmark ruling that legalized same sex marriage throughout the United States, ending decades of contentious and often hate-filled debates over the humanity of fellow LGBTQ+ citizens.
 
This historic ruling impacted many people in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the United States in a positive way. Countless individuals, who were previously denied the ability to marry and receive the same protections as heterosexual couples, were now able to celebrate their relationships and their unions the same way as everyone else. That summer, we were all provided tangible proof of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous line—that while the arc of the universe is long, it bends inexorably towards justice. Wisconsinites everywhere were treated to beautiful scenes of long-delayed weddings—now safely removed from the threat of legal annulment—at courthouses, churches and, in true Wisconsin fashion, at barns and tailgate parties, throughout our state.
 
Beyond the impact on the LGBTQ+ community in our state generally, this case is of particular importance to me as an ally because I have several family and friends that were then able to access marriage and I was able to witness their joy and happiness on the day this decision came down and afterwards. In addition, this decision also is important to me personally because it reminds me of the legal authority which affirms my family’s blended history—the Loving v. Virginia decision in 1967. I am bi-racial. My father is African-American and my mother is Caucasian, and they began their relationship in 1970—only a few short years after their type of union was legalized throughout the United States (although, in credit to Wisconsin, we were one of the minority of states to not have so-called anti-miscegenation laws on our books). Cases like Loving and Windsor remind me of the tremendous impact that each judge and justice can have on everyone else in the community and just how important it is to allow others the ability to live their true lives and be their true selves regardless of who they love.
 
Two or three judges whom I admire and why:
As a woman of color and the first person in my family to become a lawyer, the judge and justice I admire both demonstrate a series of “firsts.” They are powerful icons for women and women of color specifically. The first Judge that I admire is Vel Phillips. Judge Phillips was the first in so many areas in Wisconsin. She was the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, the first African-American judge in the State of Wisconsin and the first female judge in Milwaukee County. Beyond her trailblazing “firsts,” I also greatly admire her dedication to the law and to social justice and civil rights. While on the bench and off, Vel Phillips dedicated her life to civil rights causes and uplifting the community. I admire her dedication despite her frequent challenges—such as when she was appointed as a Judge in Milwaukee County but then lost her election afterwards. I also draw inspiration from her willingness to fight structural forces, such as her fight for fair housing and civil rights in Milwaukee. She believed wholeheartedly in the pursuit of equal rights and the use of the law to assist in that fight. I also admire her because she understood that as someone moves ahead in life, it is important to continue to lift others. Even with all her successes, she remained dedicated to her community, in particular the community of color in Wisconsin, and continued to support the public through her various roles and by assisting in providing opportunities to others. One of those opportunities where her legacy lives on is through the establishment of the VelanDale Scholarship Program through the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers (WAAL), a scholarship for which I served as program chair in 2021 and continue to support through my role as immediate past president of the WAAL board.
 
I also greatly admire Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Just like Vel Phillips, Justice Sotomayor is a trailblazer. She is the first Latina United States Supreme Court Justice and was, at the time she was confirmed, only the 3rd female attorney since our nation’s founding to rise to the level of the Supreme Court. She is not afraid to be open and honest about her own biography and the inevitable influence of her identity and her history in how she looks at and contextualizes the world around her. Despite harsh criticism during her confirmation process, Justice Sotomayor refused to back down from a vision of judging which acknowledges that judges are people first and foremost. She clearly believes that both the law and those who administer it should be approachable and accountable to other members in our society and is unafraid to use her voice, influence and decision making to support those beliefs. She has become revered in legal circles and the broader culture for her impassioned dissents, proving that she is unafraid to courageously follow through on her understanding of this country’s fundamental legal guarantees, especially its obligation to do justice to all citizens, regardless of identity.
 
The proper role of a judge:
Being a judge is a difficult role that requires the trier of fact to address many things in order to accomplish their goals. A judge must be fair and scrupulously monitor for any personal biases, even unconscious ones, they may be bringing to the bench. This allows a judge to ensure that their rulings are meeting the high ideals set by our system, which demands unbiased justice. By rigorously self-policing and doing everything possible to demonstrate fairness and integrity, the ideal judge gives the essential appearance of neutrality and fairness to other actors in the judicial system.
 
A judge’s role is also to work diligently to process each case and continue to support the larger judicial system to promote judicial efficiency and allow individuals their days in Court as efficiently as possible. Especially in counties like Milwaukee County where each judicial calendar is extremely full, it can be difficult to accomplish the goal of efficiency while also providing sufficient attention to each individual case. Despite that difficulty, it is the role of a judge to make sure those who are coming in front of them all receive the same level of attention and care for their cases and each case’s unique set of facts. In this role, a judge must make decisions that not only help the individual litigants in front of them reach a just resolution in their case, but also instill confidence in the judicial system for the general public as a whole. Our system guarantees the right of public access to judicial proceedings, consistent with our overall democratic ideals. As a result, judges must act consistent with the trust they have been given.
 
Finally, the role of a judge is to acknowledge that the individuals in front of them are people. They are more than their faults and failings; they are individuals who are often struggling with navigating the often complex and daunting legal system. A judge must treat all those that come in front of them with dignity and respect.

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