Leo B. Hanley

Leo Bernard Hanley (April 27, 1908 – May 12, 1994) was an American lawyer and jurist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1966 to 1978, and previously served 12 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County.

Early life and education Hanley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 27, 1908. He was raised and educated in Milwaukee, attending public and parochial schools. He went on to earn his LL.B. from Marquette University Law School in 1933 and began his legal career in Milwaukee. He paid his way through school by working at the Wisconsin Club—a Milwaukee country club.

After three years in private practice, Hanley was appointed assistant city attorney in 1936, under Martin J. Torpy.

Judicial career In 1952, Milwaukee County circuit court judge Otto Breidenbach announced he would not seek re-election in 1953 and would retire after 30 years on the bench. Hanley was one of three candidates who jumped into the race to succeed him, with his main rival being fellow civil judge Myron L. Gordon. Gordon was elected to another circuit court branch a year later and also went on to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court before being appointed to the federal bench.

Hanley was subsequently re-elected as circuit court judge in 1959 and 1965, and was chosen as chairman of the Milwaukee County board of judges in 1965.

In 1966, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Thomas E. Fairchild was appointed to the federal United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, creating a vacancy on the high court. On August 24, 1966, Governor Warren P. Knowles named Hanley as his choice to succeed Fairchild. Hanley was described then as a well-respected jurist without any political affiliations. At the time, joining the Supreme Court actually meant taking a $1,000 pay cut from his salary as a circuit court judge.

Hanley was sworn in on September 6, 1966. He went on to win a full ten-year term in the 1968 spring election, facing no opposition. Hanley was considered to be a member of the court's ideologically conservative wing. Hanley retired in 1978, at the end of his ten-year term, but remained active in courts around the state for several years afterward as a reserve judge. As a reserve judge, he oversaw a consequential investigation into corruption in the Milwaukee County sheriff's office.

Personal life Leo Hanley married Sophia Wabiszewski. They had three sons together, all sons went on to graduate from Marquette Law School.