Judge Marianne E. Becker
Circuit Court Judge
Waukesha County, Branch 10

November 14, 1941 - March 10, 2003

Born the first of six children of Victor and Anna Mae Esposito, on November 14, 1941 in River Forest, Illinois; known as “Teddy,” a childhood name given by friends which she never outgrew.

Teddy attended Trinity High School in River Forest, and graduated from Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin in June, 1963. She graduated from Marquette University School of Law with commendations in June, 1966 and was admitted to the Bar in the States of Wisconsin and Illinois the same year.

Teddy married law school classmate (Attorney) John L. Becker of Milwaukee in 1966, and together they raised four children: Christopher, John (II), Daniel, and Scott.

Settling in Milwaukee in 1967, Marianne was the first woman to be appointed Assistant City Attorney for the City of Milwaukee. She later joined her husband and father-in-law, Carl R. Becker, in the law firm of Becker, Kinnel Doucette & Mattison with a private practice emphasis in Family and Juvenile Law. The family moved to Brookfield, (Waukesha County), 1971, and with a growing professional presence in the Waukesha community, her dedication to the interests of children became well known. She was a strong advocate for the appointment of guardians ad litem for children in all proceedings in which their custody, placement or care were at issue, and for the establishment of a special curriculum for the training of attorneys serving in that capacity in Waukesha County. Her vision was soon emulated by many other Wisconsin counties, and has since become the norm throughout the State. Marianne was particularly proud of her role as the producer of a national symposium, “The Best Interest of the Child: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach” at the Ripon College campus in 1991. A program for which the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association was initially reticent, but which it adopted and endorsed as the roster of nationally prominent presenters and attendees grew, and invitations to publish were extended by University Law Reviews.

Teddy was elected the first woman to preside as a Circuit Court Judge in Waukesha County in 1985, following a four way primary and general election in which she out-polled all contenders by a wide margin. Owing to mandated rotation of judicial assignments, Marianne served in all five judicial divisions of the County, Family, Criminal, Civil, Probate and Juvenile, during her18 years on the bench, serving as the presiding or chief judge of the Family, Probate and Juvenile divisions during that term. Ironically, she was assigned the Juvenile Court last, and was presiding judge in that division at the time of her death.

Judge Becker was an intuitive advocate of that which is currently defined as restorative justice. Referred to by the Chief Judge of the district in which she served as “one of the most wonderful social workers in a black robe that I’ve ever seen”, she took a personal interest in the parties and victims appearing before her, addressing the concerns of each beyond the legal issues presented. She was the founder of the Waukesha County Victims Impact Panel, an all volunteer program that introduces drunk driving offenders to victims, and families of victims of like offenses in a conversational and non-accusatorial manner. The program sought to put a human face to statistics; cathartic to the victims and mind opening to the attending offenders. She turned down offers of financial assistance from the State, fearing that compensation and budgets would institutionalize the program and destroy the human components of honesty and empathy necessary for the healing of the victim, and a deterrence to repetition by the offender.

Judge Becker was in midst of an election campaign for her fourth term, the first contested race since her election in 1985, when she died suddenly and unexpectedly of a stroke at the age of 61. Her memorial services were attended by over 1000 well wishers, from Justices of Wisconsin Supreme Court and members of the judiciary throughout the State to prosecutors, police, and persons who she represented as children, posthumously receiving over 41% of the votes in the ensuing election in recognition of her commitment to the community.

A legacy of undirected memorials at the time of her death, constitute the initial funding grant of the Honorable Marianne E. Becker Fund.