Douglas County's judges announced this week that they have selected Rebecca Lovejoy to serve as the county's next court commissioner. She will assume the duties of the full-time position March 2.
With the appointment, Lovejoy will become the first-ever female member of the local judiciary.
"Judge Glonek and I have a lot of confidence in Rebecca's ability to handle the demands of the court commissioner position," said Circuit Court Judge Kelly Thimm.
The judges had a number of the inquiries about the position, with three formal applicants. All were well-qualified, said Circuit Court Judge George Glonek.
"We felt that Rebecca's overall legal experience, strong work ethic, temperament and intellect made her an excellent candidate to assume the duties of the position," Glonek said.
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Lovejoy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 1990 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. She earned her law degree at Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee in 1993.
Since graduating from law school, Lovejoy worked for a time as the staff attorney at the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse, and ran a private law practice in Superior with a primary focus on divorce and other family-related litigation matters.
Since 1999, Lovejoy has been employed part-time as the county's assistant corporation counsel litigating child support, guardianship and mental commitment matters on behalf of Douglas County.
Lovejoy has also been employed part-time since 2001 as an assistant district attorney, prosecuting criminal and forfeiture violations.
"Rebecca has appeared before me as an attorney in literally thousands of cases over my past 13 years on the bench. She is a very professional and competent attorney who has a dedicated work ethic and is always well-prepared," Glonek said. Glonek also served as court commissioner for more than five years before becoming judge in 2002.
Lovejoy has also taught legal studies as an instructor at UWS between 1997 and 2008, and currently serves as a hearing officer for the School District of Superior. As a hearing officer, Lovejoy presides over expulsion hearings and investigates district harassment and discrimination claims.
"Rebecca's prior legal experience makes her an excellent candidate to continue to effectively and efficiently serve the residents of Douglas County as the next court commissioner," Thimm said.
By Supreme Court rules, the judges have the authority to select the commissioner on the basis of merit. The commissioner assists the judges with the county's heavy caseload by handling restraining orders, many small claims cases, preliminary hearings in felony cases, as well as intake in criminal, juvenile ordinance and delinquency cases, and traffic-related matters. The commissioner also assists the judges with the pending family and mental commitment cases.
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Lovejoy said she is looking forward to the challenges of her new position.
"I appreciate the confidence that the judges have in my ability to do a good job," she said. "I will do my best to maintain the integrity of the position and to perform its duties with impartiality."
Lovejoy lives in Superior with her husband, Jeff Myers.
