Milwaukee, WI

The Milwaukee Division has selected Justice Janine P. Geske to receive the Director’s Community Leadership Award.

Justice Janine P. Geske was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1993-1998. She presently serves as a distinguished professor of law at Marquette University Law School and as director of the law school’s Restorative Justice Initiative.

Restorative justice is a victim/community-centered approach to crime and its impacts. Although restorative justice is increasingly being utilized in the American criminal justice system, its application is rooted in various cultures and faith traditions. Restorative justice focuses on healing and empowering victims of crime while involving communities (as opposed to “the state”) in that process. The Restorative Justice Program centers on victim/offender conferencing, victim/family conferencing, victim impact panels, and Native American-based “listening circles.” Students of the Restorative Justice Program study current trends in the integration of restorative justice into the American criminal justice legal system while examining both the constitutional and practical barriers that can arise.

Justice Geske frequently teaches at judicial, legal, and community conferences on mediation, restorative justice, sentencing, evidence, the courts, and spirituality and work. She also leads retreats and workshops on spirituality in everyday life. She was the dean of the Wisconsin Judicial College for five years and is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Wisconsin, Fellows of the American Bar, American Law Institute, Association of Conflict Resolution, and the Wisconsin Association of Mediators.

Justice Janine Geske’s leadership efforts through the Restorative Justice Program at Marquette University exemplify her work and her accomplishments.