Candidate: Linda Clifford
Age: 58
Resides: Madison, Wisconsin

Education: In 1966, Linda Clifford came to Wisconsin from North Chicago, Illinois, to attend Beloit College on a scholarship. During college she worked in the same factory as her father and grandfather, carrying a Steelworkers union card. The same year she graduated from Beloit College, Gaylord Nelson founded the first Earth Day and it was his focus on environmental protection that inspired Linda to pursue law school.

She worked her way through the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she was a member of the Board of Editors of the Wisconsin Law Review, by clerking at the Department of Justice.

Career: Following law school Linda became an Assistant Attorney General in the Wisconsin Department of Justice. There, Linda enforced Wisconsin’s environmental protection laws in courtrooms all across the state. She also wrote legal opinions, serving under three different Attorney Generals.

When her daughters – Meghan (29) and Colleen (27) -- were young, Linda practiced law part-time from home. She joined the Madison law firm of LaFollette Sinykin (now LaFollette Godfrey & Kahn) in 1982 and has been a partner since 1986. In private practice she represented individuals and businesses in a variety of practice areas before state and federal agencies and courts. She understands the job of a Supreme Court Justice because she’s been involved in more than 30 appellate cases over three decades; she’s the only candidate in the race who has argued before the Supreme Court.

For nine years, Clifford served on a Supreme Court committee investigating attorney misconduct and recommending discipline for ethical violations. Linda’s 32-year career has earned honors such as “Leader in the Law” and “Best Lawyers in America” and the support of two of the most independent-minded leaders in the state: Dem. Sen. Russ Feingold and former Rep. Gov. Lee Sherman Dreyfus.

Personal: Clifford grew up in a 100% Slovenian-American blue collar family in a factory town north of Chicago. Her parents couldn’t have provided better lessons for service as a Supreme Court Justice - the value of hard work, the importance of integrity and honesty, and the need for fairness.

Linda is married and has two children.

Website: http://www.lindacliffordforjustice.org

Candidate: Judge Annette Ziegler
Age: 42
Resides: West Bend, Wisconsin

Education: Judge Ziegler earned her Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Psychology and Business Administration from Hope College in Holland, Michigan in 1986. She received her law degree in 1989 from Marquette University, where she served as Staff Editor of the Law Review.

Career: Judge Ziegler worked in civil, private practice representing businesses, families and individuals at O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman & DeJong, SC, during law school and until 1995. In 1992 and 1996 she served as a Pro Bono Special Assistant District Attorney for the Milwaukee County District Attorney.

In 1995 she became an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Currently, she is the senior judge of a court of general jurisdiction in Washington County, where she has served since 1997. She is also the District III Deputy Chief Judge and participated in the District II Court of Appeals Judge Exchange Program. Judge Ziegler serves on the Criminal Jury Instruction Committee, and is a member of both the Judicial College Faculty and National Association of Women Judges.

Personal: She is President of the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County Board of Trustees, a member of the West Bend noon Rotary and, for over a decade, has participated in feeding the homeless through the St. Thomas More Sandwich Project.

Judge Ziegler, her husband and their children make their home in West Bend.

Website: http://www.annetteziegler.com