January 7, 2015 at 5:05 p.m.
Portraits of judges to hang in courtrooms
Portraits of judges to hang in courtrooms
On Monday, portraits of the former judges were unveiled at a special ceremony at the Oneida County Courthouse in Rhinelander. The portraits will hang in the courtrooms the judges formerly presided in - Branch I for Kinney and Branch II for Mangerson.
About 40 people attended the event, including family members of the judges, local attorneys, elected officials and court staff.
Vilas County Circuit Judge Neal Nielsen, chief judge of the state's Ninth Judicial District, which includes Oneida County, called Kinney and Mangerson "two extraordinary public servants."
Kinney retired in 2007 after serving 31 years as a judge. During that time, he was active in the state judiciary, sitting on and chairing various committees of the state Supreme Court.
He remains a reserve judge - presiding over cases when called upon - and also provides private mediation services.
Nielsen said Kinney "has a great reputation throughout the state for high intellect, high character and a great work ethic."
Kinney's portrait will be the sixth in the Branch I courtroom, which already has portraits of five judges who presided there since 1887.
Speaking briefly after his portrait was unveiled, Kinney said he loved being a judge.
"There wasn't a day during those 31 years that I didn't enjoy going to work," he said.
He also thanked his family and colleagues for their support.
Mangerson's portrait will be the first in the Branch II courtroom, as he was the first judge to preside there.
The portrait is a painting created by Mangerson's son, Jesse, a professional artist and professor. Mangerson said Jesse "did a remarkable job."
"When Jesse said he wanted to do a portrait for me, I guess I didn't realize how good he was with oils," Mangerson said. "I was very pleased the way it turned out."
Mangerson said he is often asked if he misses being a judge. The answer: He doesn't miss the work, he said, "but I certainly miss the people I worked with every day."
He was on the circuit court bench for 22 years before Gov. Scott Walker appointed him to the District 3 Court of Appeals in Wausau in 2011. He was later elected to a six-year term on the appeals court bench in 2012, but resigned in July to spend more time with his family.
He still serves as a reserve judge.
Mangerson was on the faculty of the Wisconsin Judicial College and has also sat on and chaired various state judicial committees. He has received awards, including judge of year by the American Board of Trial Attorneys, according to Nielsen, the district's chief judge.
Nielsen said Mangerson "has given so much for so many years."
Oneida County Circuit Judge Michael Bloom, who succeeded Mangerson in Branch II, said Mangerson served as a model judge.
"Since I have been on the bench, which has been for about two-and-a-half years, it's been my goal to uphold the standard Judge Mangerson set in the 22 years he served in this courtroom," Bloom said.
Ceremony a tradition statewide
What happened Monday has taken place across the state, according to Susan Byrnes, administrator of the state's Ninth Judicial District.
There is typically a ceremony at both ends of a judge's career. When someone becomes judge, he or she usually holds an investiture ceremony to be sworn in and receive a robe. At the end of a judge's career, a so-called "hanging ceremony" is held to install a judge's portrait in the courtroom he or she presided over, Byrnes said.
Monday's ceremony was considered a "double hanging" because there were two judges. That's relatively rare, Byrnes said.
"It was really nice that we had both of the retired judges together and that we could combine it," she said. "The portraits that are displayed are very typical of what we see hanging in courtrooms all over Wisconsin."
Hanging of the portraits is a tradition in the state judiciary and done with the blessing of the judge who has retired, according to Byrnes.
The Oneida-Vilas-Forest County Bar Association and Oneida County circuit judges Patrick O'Melia and Bloom helped organize the event.
Jonathan Anderson may be reached at [email protected]
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