Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack announced today that the
Wisconsin State Law Library will be named in honor of retiring Justice David T. Prosser, Jr. in recognition of his life-time dedication to public service.
"In light of Justice Prosser's upcoming retirement and his many years of service to Wisconsin in all three branches of government, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has decided to name our law library the David T. Prosser, Jr. State Law Library," Roggensack said.
Prosser, who retires from the Supreme Court July 31, spent more than 40 years in public service in three branches of state government, including 18 years as a justice.
Prior to being appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Gov. Tommy G. Thompson in 1998, Prosser was a commissioner on the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission from 1997 to 1998. He served in the state Assembly from 1979 through 1996, including two years as Speaker and six years as Minority Leader. Before that, he served as Outagamie County district attorney.
Early in his career, Prosser worked in Washington, D.C., first as an attorney-advisor in the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Criminal Justice, then as administrative assistant to U.S. Rep. Harold Froehlich of Wisconsin, who was a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate impeachment inquiry.
"Few people have made as significant a contribution to serving the people of Wisconsin as Justice Prosser. His dedication to Wisconsin has been his life's work," Roggensack said.
Naming the library in honor of Justice Prosser is also appropriate because he has worked hard over the years to promote appreciation of the law library, not only by lawyers, judges and court staff, but also students, researchers and the public, Roggensack said.
The
State Law Library is located on the second floor of the Risser Justice Center at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and West Doty Street in Madison. A formal naming ceremony is being planned for September.
