Evers appoints Trish Baker as Flugaur’s replacement

Metro Wire Staff

Gov. Tony Evers announced on Wednesday that he is appointing Patricia Baker to the Portage County Circuit Court.

The appointment fills a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas T. Flugaur, who stepped down in November. The appointment runs the remainder of Fluguar’s six-year term, through Aug. 1, 2021.

“Patricia Baker is an excellent attorney who will bring a wealth of experience to the bench. I know that everyone in her courtroom will be treated fairly and with dignity, regardless of background,” Evers said in a press release on Wednesday.

A former assistant district attorney and past president of the Portage County Bar Association, Baker currently represents clients in family law and criminal defense matters. Baker has over 20 years of experience as a family law mediator and frequently serves as guardian ad litem.

Baker has served numerous terms on the Stevens Point Area Public School District, previously served as president of Mid-State Independent Living Choices, Inc., and on the board of the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin.

“Trish has a broad base of experience in the areas of law that she will see as a trial court judge. She also has the patience and empathy necessary to make the difficult decisions she will encounter every day,” Flugaur said in a press statement.

“I have spent my entire legal career working in the law to achieve justice; whether it is for a victim of a crime, a person with a disability, or an abused child; my goal has always been to apply the law fairly,” Baker said. “I will continue to work to treat every person who enters the courtroom with respect, dignity, and fairness.”

Baker will be the first woman to ever serve as a circuit court judge in Portage County. She is a graduate of the UW-Madison Law School and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Baker is expected to be sworn in on Jan. 4. She lives with her husband in Park Ridge.