LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLCX) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has appointed Mark Huesmann to the La Crosse County Circuit Court.

Huesmann, who has been a judge on the Coulee Region Joint Municipal Court, will serve out the remaining term of Judge Todd Bjerke through July 31, 2024.

Huesmann has been Bjerke’s court commissioner for the past 16 years. In addition to operating his own law office, Huesmann is also a professor at UW-La Crosse, where he is an attorney advisor for the Student Life Office.

Bjerke, who will retire at the end of the month, said Huesmann “has a passion to follow and apply the rule of law.”

“He strives to achieve and promote fairness and equity through his work as an attorney, a court commissioner, a university instructor, and a municipal judge,” Bjerke said. “These are all fundamental attributes of a good judge.”

Gov. Evers touted Huesmann’s experience in a number of different areas as to why he appointed him to the court.

“As a veteran and through his work with the veteran community, as professor and resource for students in our UW System, and as a court commissioner and municipal court judge, Mark Huesmann has demonstrated a profound commitment to justice and service in our state,” Evers said. “His decades of experience and dedication will make him an excellent judge for the people of La Crosse County.”

Huesmann, a Bronze Star recipient for his time serving in the Army Reserve in Afghanistan in 2010, was also one of the people tasked with creating the veterans treatment court in La Crosse and will take it over after Bjerke’s retirement.

“As the son of immigrants and a military veteran, I understand hard work and sacrifice and the importance of upholding the rule of law in a fair, compassionate, and even-handed way,” Huesmann said. “My predecessor, Judge Bjerke, has filled that role for years and I intend to bring that same level of respect and dignity for all into the courtroom.”

“I am grateful and humbled by this opportunity to serve the people of La Crosse County as a circuit court judge,” Huesmann said.