William W. Brash III

William Wheeler Brash III (born July 15, 1951) is an American lawyer and jurist from Wisconsin. He served as the chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals from 2021 through 2023, and was a member of the Milwaukee-based District I court from 2015 through 2023. He previously served 15 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County.

Biography
Born in Panama and raised in Fox Point, Wisconsin, Brash received his B.A. degree from St. Norbert College in 1973 and his J.D. degree from Marquette University Law School in 1978. He practiced law and was a business owner. He served as a municipal judge in Fox Point from 1984 to 1997, and then as a reserve municipal judge for Milwaukee from 1997 until 2001.

In November 2001 he was appointed to the Wisconsin Circuit Court in Milwaukee County by Governor Scott McCallum. He was re-elected to the Circuit Court in 2002, 2008, and 2014. In 2015, Governor Scott Walker appointed Brash to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals to fill the vacancy created by his appointment of Judge Rebecca Bradley to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Brash won a full term on the court without opposition in the spring election of 2017. He is currently the Presiding Judge for District I. On June 28, 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order naming him the next chief judge, effective August 1, 2021.

On April 4, 2023, Brash lost his reelection bid to labor lawyer Sara Geenen.

Personal life
Judge Brash and his wife, Ruth, have one son and reside in Fox Point, Wisconsin.