"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. Name: Kristela L. Cervera Appointed to: Milwaukee County Circuit Court Appointment date: Oct. 29, 2021 (on ballot for April 5, 2022, election) Education: Law School – University of Wisconsin-Madison Undergraduate – University of Wisconsin-Madison High School – Rufus King High, Milwaukee Recent legal employment: March 2019-present – Assistant Family Court commissioner, Milwaukee County Family Court Commission March 2005-March 2019 – Legal counsel I, Milwaukee County Department of Child Support Services August 2003-March 2005 – Legal department managing attorney, Esperanza Unida, Milwaukee January 2002-August 2003 – Assistant district attorney, Kenosha County District Attorney’s office Bar and Administrative Memberships: Wisconsin Bar General character of practice: I am a judicial officer appointed by the Milwaukee County Circuit Court to preside over hearings in family court pertaining to paternity, divorce, contempt, and actions to compel support. The hearings involve represented and pro se litigants, and Guardians ad Litem representing the best interests of children. In addition, I conduct evidentiary hearings for domestic violence and harassment injunctions. Prior to this role, I represented the State of Wisconsin's interests in the establishment of paternity for children, and established and enforced child support orders using procedures mandated by federal regulation, state statutes, case law, administrative rules, and local policies. In this capacity, I participated in an annual Fatherhood Summit in collaboration with local organizations since its inception in 2006, and provided bilingual information to individuals at the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic from 2005 to 2014. Describe typical clients: Throughout my career, I have routinely engaged with pro se individuals from the community of diverse racial, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, in Spanish if preferred. Additionally, I represented low income individuals and undocumented immigrants who were primarily Spanish-speaking in worker's compensation and unemployment insurance claims as an attorney for Esperanza Unida, Inc., an organization dedicated to improving the employability of workers in Milwaukee. Number of cases tried to verdict: 10 jury trials and several bench trials 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: In re the Paternity of T. J. D. C., 310 Wis. 2d 786, 750 N.W.2d 957, published decision dated and filed March 18, 2008: I represented the State of Wisconsin as petitioner-respondent in its response to the appeal to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. It was part of my role as legal counsel for the Milwaukee County Department of Child Support Services. Brief statement of the issue: The parties in this case married subsequent to the birth of their child (T. J. D. C.) and disputed the State-filed paternity action to establish the respondent-appellant husband as the father of T. J. D. C. The parents failed to take administrative steps to establish paternity and disputed the state-filed paternity case because they had intermarried and believed that the paternity case was no longer valid. The final disposition of the case was in favor of the State of Wisconsin. My participation in the circuit court case followed by this appeal was from 2006 to 2008. Hendrick v. Hendrick, 2009 WI App 33, 316 Wis.2d 479, 765 N.W.2d 865, published decision dated and filed February 10, 2009: I represented the State of Wisconsin as petitioner-respondent in its response to the appeal to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. It was part of my role as legal counsel for the Milwaukee County Department of Child Support Services. Brief statement of the issue: A putative father disputed the court's decision to overcome a marital presumption of paternity pertaining to his biological child's stepfather. The final disposition was in favor of the State of Wisconsin. My participation in the circuit court case followed by this appeal was from 2007 to 2009. Experience in adversary proceedings before administrative bodies: As the Managing Attorney for Esperanza Unida, Inc., I represented individuals in worker's compensation and unemployment insurance hearings. Describe your non-litigation experience (e.g., arbitration, mediation). I have completed 40 hours of coursework in divorce mediation skills at the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies in Chicago, IL. Position or involvement in judicial, non-partisan, or partisan political campaign, committee, or organization:
I have circulated nomination papers in non-partisan campaigns for Milwaukee County Circuit Court and City of Milwaukee judges. Previous runs for public office: Not applicable All judicial or non-partisan candidates endorsed in the last ten years: Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judges Reyna Morales, Jack Davila, Kristy Yang, Laura Gramling Perez and Carolina Stark Professional or civic and charitable organizations: WI Hispanic Lawyers Association, president, 2008-2009, and member, 2002-present State Committee to Improve Interpretation, committee member, 2016-2019 Society of Family Lawyers Leander J. Foley Chapter, member, 2017-present Significant pro bono legal work or volunteer service:
Quotes: Why I want to be a judge -- My parents are from Crystal City, Texas, a small town with few economic resources and very limited opportunities other than working in the fields in the winter garden region of Texas. This led to many of its residents to follow the migrant stream to northern states to support their families. My mother taught in an elementary school before she was hired in the summer of 1977 to work with children in migrant camps around Wautoma, Wisconsin, while their parents worked in the fields and canneries. My father already had siblings who relocated to Milwaukee after finding job opportunities in factories and he was hired by Briggs & Stratton at the end of that summer. We moved to Milwaukee, where I continue to live. Growing up in my southside neighborhood was like living in two different worlds and even now, I sometimes feel that way, but I have learned to appreciate and embrace it. Due to my upbringing in this environment, I learned to be proud of my Mexican heritage and share my culture with others to show that we can be different in some ways but the same in many more. It is this experience, walking between two worlds, that drives me to seek this judicial appointment. I am ready to take on the responsibility of bringing fairness to the bench for all people, regardless of the worlds they walk in, to ensure that justice will be served for all who come into my court. While I understand the need to protect society and individuals from offenders of violent crimes, I also see the bench as an opportunity to ensure that the delivery of justice is uniform. It is an opportunity to encourage other alternatives to incarceration and to develop resources so that offenders have the tools they need to become more productive and fully-participating members of society. I am seeking the appointment to continue to serve the greater Milwaukee community. As a judge, I would have the opportunity to help all individuals who come before me understand court procedures and decisions that may not otherwise be clear. As a court commissioner, I have experienced this firsthand and have taken the extra time to give explanations in a respectful manner, and I have seen how much people appreciate my efforts in helping them understand the process better. 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. A case that has had a significant impact and profound effect on the people of Wisconsin, Obergefell ET AL. v. Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Health, ET AL., 576 U.S. 644, 135 S. Ct. 2584, 192 L. Ed. 2d 609 (2015), decided on June 26, 2015, is a decision pertaining to the historically controversial topic of same-sex marriage. The decision was a leap forward for all states in recognizing the union of two individuals regardless of sexual orientation. After the Obergefell decision, all states were required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and to recognize same-sex marriages performed in the states and territories of the U.S. The decision triggered an optimism that the public would follow the lead of the highest legal institution of the country. It was law in action, the decision directly affected the people of Wisconsin immediately following its release, and same-sex marriages were performed at the Milwaukee County Courthouse in an atmosphere of joy and celebration. The decision continues to affect the daily lives of the people of Wisconsin, and was not only validating growing public opinion for the acceptance of same-sex marriages, but also provided a basis for future same-sex couples to have their unions recognized by the law. Two or three judges whom I admire and why: Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Maxine Aldridge White, former Chief Judge of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, is a judge I have admired since I first began to appear in her court in 2005. I have always admired Judge White for her humility on the bench and in chambers, whether she's addressing pro se or represented litigants, and the appreciation she always expresses to attorneys assisting the court in their representation. As a circuit court judge, Judge White spoke with authority, but in a manner that was respectful and never dismissive of any litigant in her court. Although I set out to try to emulate Judge White's court demeanor, the lesson that has endured with me most since appearing in Judge White's courtroom, was learned in her simple but very effective way of gathering information in her search for the truth. I'll never forget her insistence to all who came to her courtroom, litigant or lawyer, to "speak loudly when you speak the truth." Her simple instructions resonated, and as I continued to appear in her court, observing and learning from her, I found my own voice and confidence in speaking the truth. Observing Judge White's ascension from trial court judge to chief judge overseeing 47 circuit court judges, and finally, to the appellate court from her humble beginnings as the daughter of sharecroppers in the South has been inspiring to me, and it is an honor to know her. As the first woman to be appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and longestserving justice of the people of the State of Wisconsin, the late and former Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson is a justice I admire, and I had the opportunity to hear this great orator when I was a law student over 20 years ago. I was intrigued by her New York accent and sharp wit, but I also learned that she famously held an aerobics class in her court! I couldn't believe that this trailblazer, rigorously intellectual woman and dedicated public servant, a chief of seven Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices, was concerned about people's well-being as well. Justice Abrahamson's decisions have had an impact on the daily lives of the people of Wisconsin from her influence on jury instructions to ensure that juries are informed of their duty in civil cases to tackling the intended protection of hate crime statutes. It is likely that many will never know how far-reaching her influence was in the lives of so many in Wisconsin. The proper role of a judge: A judge must always be well-prepared, well-informed and experienced, patient yet efficient, and generally well-versed in various areas of law. The judge is an active and engaged listener, and is adept in assisting litigants and lawyers in the navigation of local practice, statutes, and procedure to ensure that due process requirements are met and jurisdictional questions addressed. The judge is committed to adhere to the rules of evidence and civil procedure in the process of seeking justice case-by-case, taking its litigants into account to guide them in a case without favoring one party over another. The judge is careful not to provide legal advice to either party, but provide information to the parties even in the most adversarial cases, so that the court process and requirements are understood and followed in the quest for a sound resolution within the parameters of the law.
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