Evers' judges: Milton L. Childs

​"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: Milton L. Childs
 
Appointed to: Milwaukee County Circuit Court
 
Appointment date: Oct. 29, 2019 (elected 2020 to term ending Aug. 1, 2026)
 
Education:
Law School – Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Master of Business Administration – Keller Graduate School of Management, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Undergraduate – Xavier University of LA, New Orleans, Louisiana
High School – Milwaukee Trade and Technical High, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 
Recent legal employment:
July 2009-present – Attorney manager, Wisconsin State Public Defender, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
February 2007-July 2009 – Assistant state public defender, Wisconsin State Public Defender, Racine, Wisconsin
June 2006-February 2007 – Attorney, Childs Law Office, Glendale, Wisconsin
September 2004-June 2006 – Assistant state public defender, Wisconsin State Public Defender, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
 
Military service:
1984-1992 – Department of the Navy, Branch - United States Marine Corps. Highest Rank - E-5/Sergeant, Discharge - Honorable
 
Bar and administrative memberships:
State Bar of Wisconsin
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
 
General character of practice:
I am currently an Attorney Manager for the WI Public Defender in the Milwaukee Juvenile and Mental Health. My practice is broken into 4 areas.
1. I represent juveniles and adults under Chapter 51, involuntary commitments. This includes individuals on initial commitments, extensions and redetentions.
2. I represent adults under Chapter 54/55 - guardianships and protective placements.
3. I represent adults on termination of parental rights cases.
4. I manage the mental health team - other staff attorneys and private bar attorneys that represent our Chapter 51, Chapter 54/55 and TPR clients. Also as manager, I attend meetings within the judicial system and within the community and I am a resource for other attorneys across the state in the area of mental health.
 
Describe typical clients:
1. Many of my Chapter 51 clients are individuals that had been living pretty normal lives in the community, but for some reason stopped taking their medication or maybe they were never on meds, but their illness has reached a point that they need assistance.
2. My typical Chapter 54/55 client is an aging adult that is going through dementia or a degenerative brain disorder. They are at a point where they can no longer care for themself.
3. My typical TPR parent is a young female in her 20s or 30s, with some AODA issues, a victim of domestic violence and struggling with poverty. Many do not have the support system in place that so many other parents have.
 
Number of cases tried to verdict: Jury: 70+, Court: 80+, Administrative: 40+
 
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 2010 I was introduced to a 14 year old boy that was being charged with 2 counts of 1st degree sexual assault of a child and 1 count of exposing genitals. He was one of the first of many clients that I would begin to represent that was from a failed adoption. His adopted parents no longer wanted him, so he had no family or support. His birth mother was not able to care for him at that time. He would spend the next three years in the juvenile justice system, bouncing around from several residential treatment centers and finally ending up in Lincoln Hills. He did not pick up any additional charges during the next three years. He completed his sex offender treatment, but the facilitators felt that he was not putting as much into his lessons as they felt he could have. In October 2013, two months before his 18th birthday, we had a hearing requesting that the court permanently stay his sex registration. ADA Amanda Kirklewski was requesting that he register, but was leaving the amount of time up to the court. I was requesting a permanent stay. Judge Rebecca Bradley ordered lifetime registration taking into consideration some of the following: the ages of the victims, where the incidents took place (in church) and the probability that he would reoffend. This was the first lifetime registration that anyone in our office could remember being ordered. He was released from Lincoln Hills on his 18th birthday, December 30, 2013 and dropped off at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission in downtown Milwaukee. This case continues to remind me of the importance of the work that I do with juveniles and how decisions that so many juveniles make at a young age can affect them the rest of their life.
 
In 2013 - 2015, I had an opportunity to represent a deaf TPR father. The case was scheduled in front of Judge Mark Sanders. The ADA was Elisabeth Mueller and the GAL was Deanna Weiss. This case educated all of the legal parties about the deaf community and the proper use of interpreters in the court system. I was also able to confront many of my biases and my ignorance about members of the deaf community. After completing this case, I have had the opportunity to work with several organizations within the deaf community and participate in the Legal interpreter Training Institute as they train and prepare new interpreters.
 
Experience in adversary proceedings before administrative bodies:
1. When I was in private practice, I appeared before several administrative judges representing individuals in unemployment compensation hearings and parole/probation revocation hearings.
2. As an Assistant State Public Defender, I have represented individuals in parole/probation revocation hearings.
 
Describe your non-litigation experience (e.g., arbitration, mediation).
2015 - 2017 - Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action Officer for the WI State Public Defender - The position involved investigating, mediating and resolving employment and discrimination complaints
 
Position or involvement in judicial, non-partisan, or partisan political campaign, committee, or organization: None
 
Previous runs for public office: [None listed]
 
All judicial or non-partisan candidates endorsed in the last ten years:
Joseph Donald, Wisconsin State Supreme Court, 2015
Paul Rifelj, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge, 2016
Danielle Shelton, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge, 2018
Rebecca Kiefer, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge, 2018
 
Professional or civic and charitable organizations:
Tabernacle Community Baptist Church, music director, current
WI Association of African American Lawyers, past board of director member, current
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, current
State Bar of Wisconsin, Board of Governors, Diversity /Inclusion Oversight Committee, 2015-2017
Civic Music Association of Milwaukee, board member, 2015
WIAA Basketball official, current (over 20 years)
American Legion, Post 455, current (over 20 years)
 
Significant pro bono legal work or volunteer service:
No significant pro bono legal work or volunteer service.
 
Quotes:
 
Why I want to be a judge:
Becoming a judge was not one of my goals in life when I was younger. There are times I still do not believe that I am a lawyer. I dreamed of giving back to my community by either creating a business or becoming a teacher. I became a teacher. I had the opportunity to teach for a number of years and I really enjoyed it. My students were the ones that encouraged me to become a lawyer. They would share with me their challenges at home, in their community and in the courtroom. I became an advocate for them; providing support, even coming to court on a few occasions to speak on their behalf. I begin to read law books, cases and the State statutes. I then decided to go to law school to get a better understanding of the law, with the goal of becoming a true legal advocate for the community. My goal was to learn as much as I could and then to share my education with the community. My reason for wanting to serve the people of Wisconsin as a judge is similar; to educate and serve my community. As a judge, I would remain involved in Milwaukee County; educating people of the laws, the changes that are occurring in the laws, make them aware of their rights and encourage them to participate in all areas of the political process. I would work with entities, across the county, and listen to their concerns, issues and recommendations to improve the judicial system.
 
Additionally, I would work hard to reconnect the judicial system and the community. There is a strong disconnect and distrust, all across the county. This divide appears to be continuing to grow. Many citizens throughout the county feel that they have no voice; they feel isolated and ignored. Many citizens are looking for those on the bench for leadership. I have had the opportunity to appear in front of some great judges across the State. These judges were not afraid to apply the law properly. They were not afraid to hold people accountable, but still show respect to all of the litigants involved. These judges visit schools, senior citizen centers, churches and other place to hear from their constituents; and not just during election time. My goal would be to do the same. I am very concerned that many of the judges in Milwaukee County are disconnected with the people that come in front of them - in all areas of the law.
 
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 believe that the Wisconsin Supreme Court Case, In the Interest of Jerrell C.J., 2004 WI App 9, 269 Wis.2d 442, has had a significant positive impact on the people of Wisconsin. Prior to this case being decided, law enforcement jurisdictions across the State were inconsistent in juvenile interrogations. Most did not record interrogations. Additionally, many of the parents of my juvenile clients would be shocked (and still are) when I would tell them that the police does not have to contact them or allow them to be in the room when they interrogate their child.
 
Requiring police to electronically record all juvenile interrogations provided some protections to juveniles. The decision also explained the benefits from recording juvenile interrogations: (1) it will provide courts with a more accurate and reliable record of the juvenile's interrogation, (2) it will reduce the number of disputes over Miranda and voluntariness issues for juveniles, (3) it will protect the individual interest of police officers wrongfully accused of improper tactics, (4) it will enhance law enforcement interrogations of juveniles, and (5) it will protect the rights of the accused.
 
Two or three judges whom I admire and why:
One judge that I admire is Judge James Bolgert in Sheboygan County. A few months after graduating from law school, obtained a position in the Sheboygan County Public Defender's Office. I was advised how conservative the judges were in Sheboygan, except for Judge Bolgert. I was also advised that he was not afraid of going below the prosecutor's recommendation (and even at times going below the defense attorney's recommendation). However, my respect and admiration for him was for the way he treated the defendants. He would allow the defendants an opportunity to tell their story and explain how they ended up in the situation that they were in. He gave first time offenders the benefit of the doubt, but would be a little harsher on probation violators. During sentencing, he took into consideration the person's history, or lack of history, their support system, their mental health or AODA, as well as other factors. As a new attorney, he was patient with me. He understood the caseload of public defenders, so he would allow public defenders to appear at 8:30, before private attorneys. This helped me to create a good habit of getting to court early. He also had a month orange book club. He would meet with attorneys from across the county once a month during the lunch hour to review new cases that came out. This was also helpful to meet in staying current with new case law.
 
The second judge that I admire is Judge John DiMotto in Milwaukee County. A number of years ago Judge DiMotto rotated to the TPR calendar at Children Court. He had a reputation of knowing the law extremely well and he expected attorneys that appeared before him to know the law and be prepared. He did not disappoint me. I learned so much in the area of civil law in those two years. He was approachable.
 
The proper role of a judge:
The proper role of a judge is to interpret the law and be an impartial decision maker. Judges must be fair and treat all parties equal, removing any bias. They must be firm, but humble. They must be able to communicate effectively, but with the right temperament

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