Brian Blanchard

Brian Blanchard (born November 7, 1958) is an American lawyer, judge, and former politician. He is a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Madison-based District IV; originally elected in 2010, he has announced he will retire in November 2026. He previously served nine years as district attorney of Dane County, Wisconsin, and served seven years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Illinois.

Biography Born in State College, Pennsylvania, Judge Brian W. Blanchard graduated from the University of Michigan with honors and from the Northwestern University School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Northwestern University Law Review. Blanchard is married to Mary Blanchard and has three children; Will, Ben, and Allison.

Career Blanchard was an assistant United States attorney in Chicago, Illinois, from 1990 to 1997. In 1997, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin, and joined a private practice. He later became district attorney of Dane County, Wisconsin, and served in that position from 2001 until his election to the Court of Appeals in 2010.

Electoral history