Jonathan David Richards (born September 5, 1963) is an American attorney, judge, and Democratic politician. He currently serves as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, since his appointment on September 22, 2020, by Governor Tony Evers. He previously represented Milwaukee for 16 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly and was a candidate for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 2014.
Early life and education Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Richards graduated from Waukesha North High School. He received his bachelor's degree from Lawrence University and went on to earn his J.D. from University of Wisconsin Law School. He also attended Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. Richards taught English in Japan and volunteered with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India.
Career Richards has been an attorney for more than 25 years. In 1998 he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 19th District for eight terms. He served as Assistant Minority Leader from 2003 to 2007. He also served on the Joint Finance Committee and chaired the Public Health Committee.
In October 2013, Richards announced he would run for Attorney General of Wisconsin rather than running for a ninth term in the Assembly. He came in second in the Democratic primary election of August 2014, with 90,101 votes (33%) to 144,369 (52%) for Susan Happ, who went on to lose the general election in November.
Following the end of his term in the Assembly, Richards joined the Milwaukee law firm Ziino, Germanotta, Knoll & Christensen. He also worked as a volunteer attorney with the Eviction Defense Project as well as for victims of human trafficking through Lotus Legal Clinic, and was director of the Take Back My Meds coalition—which encourages the safe disposal of unused medicines to prevent drug abuse and lake contamination.
On September 22, 2020, Governor Tony Evers announced he had appointed Richards to the Wisconsin Circuit Court seat recently vacated by the resignation of Judge Jeffrey Conen. Judge Richards announced he would seek election to a full term on the court in the 2021 spring election.
Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly (1998–2012) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 1998 Primary Democratic 1,921 65.18% Dem. 534 18.12% 2,947 1,387 Dem. 492 16.69% General Democratic 10,672 69.94% Rep. 3,852 25.25% 15,258 6,820 Ind. 734 4.81% 2000 General Democratic 18,722 97.83% --unopposed-- 19,137 18,307 2002 General Democratic 12,419 97.90% 12,685 12,153 2004 General Democratic 24,344 98.31% 24,762 23,926 2006 General Democratic 18,638 98.38% 18,945 18,331 2008 General Democratic 25,281 98.52% 25,660 24,902 2010 General Democratic 15,123 68.54% Rep. 15,123 68.54% 22,064 8,231 2012 General Democratic 24,856 97.65% --unopposed-- 25,453 24,259
Wisconsin Attorney General (2014)
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Democratic Primary, August 12, 2014
Wisconsin Circuit Court (2021)
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 6, 2021
References
External links
2020 Circuit Judge campaign website 2014 Attorney General campaign website (Archived) Jonathan D. Richards at Ziino, Germanotta, Knoll & Christensen Follow the Money – Jon Richards 2008 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 campaign contributions Campaign 2008 campaign contributions at Wisconsin Democracy Campaign