# Paul B. Higginbotham

Paul B. Higginbotham (born October 14, 1954) is a retired judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He was the first African American to serve on the court. He previously served nine years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Dane County, Wisconsin.

## Biography

Higginbotham was born on October 14, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was a civil rights activist and marched with Martin Luther King Jr., during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Wisconsin Law School and is a resident of Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Though the judicial offices held were officially non-partisan, he is a Democrat.

## Career

From 1985 to 1986, Higginbotham was an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was later a member of the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Law School. From 1992 to 1993, he served as City of Madison, Wisconsin Municipal Judge. He was the a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge from 1994 until joining the Court of Appeals in 2003. That year he ran for election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but was defeated in the February primary election with the seat ultimately going to Patience D. Roggensack. Judge Roggensack's elevation created a vacancy on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, and Governor Jim Doyle appointed Judge Higginbotham to the empty seat. Judge Higginbotham won re-election without opposition in 2005 and 2011. In May 2016, Higginbotham announced that he would not seek re-election to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the 2017 Wisconsin Spring Election.

## Redistricting commission

After a 2011 redistricting law, passed by a partisan Republican legislature and signed by a Republican governor, Wisconsin became one of the worst gerrymandered states in the country. In July 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced the creation of a redistricting commission in an effort to create a nonpartisan alternative to the contentious process that had resulted in years of legal challenges and disputes. Evers appointed Judge Higginbotham, along with retired judges Janine P. Geske and Joseph Troy, as a panel to select the members of the proposed redistricting commission.

## Electoral history
### Wisconsin Circuit Court (1994, 2000)

Wisconsin Circuit Court, Dane Circuit, Branch 17 Election, 1994 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| General Election, April 5, 1994 ||||||
| | Nonpartisan | Paul B. Higginbotham | 35,864 | 73.86% |
| | Nonpartisan | Hamdy Ezalarab | 12,691 | 26.14% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '48,555' | '100.0%' |
Wisconsin Circuit Court, Dane Circuit, Branch 17 Election, 2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| General Election, April 4, 2000 ||||||
| | Nonpartisan | Paul B. Higginbotham (incumbent) | 49,239 | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '49,239' | '100.0%' |

### Wisconsin Supreme Court (2003)

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 2003 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Primary Election, February 18, 2003 ||||||
| | Nonpartisan | Patience D. Roggensack | 109,501 | 39.36% |
| | Nonpartisan | Edward R. Brunner | 89,494 | 32.17% |
| | Nonpartisan | Paul B. Higginbotham | 77,584 | 27.89% |
| | | Scattering | 1,604 | 0.58% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '278,183' | '100.0%' |
| General Election, April 1, 2003 ||||||
| | Nonpartisan | Patience D. Roggensack | 409,422 | 51.13% |
| | Nonpartisan | Edward R. Brunner | 390,215 | 48.73% |
| | | Scattering | 1,148 | 0.14% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '800,785' | '100.0%' |

### Wisconsin Court of Appeals (2005, 2011)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV Election, 2005 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| General Election, April 5, 2005 ||||||
| | Nonpartisan | Paul B. Higginbotham (incumbent) | 165,592 | 99.68% |
| | | Scattering | 527 | 0.32% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '166,119' | '100.0%' |
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV Election, 2011 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| General Election, April 5, 2011 ||||||
| | Nonpartisan | Paul B. Higginbotham (incumbent) | 316,583 | 99.44% |
| | | Scattering | 1,795 | 0.56% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | '318,378' | '100.0%' |