(Milwaukee, WI) – Today, Anna Hodges formally announced her candidacy for Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court in the Democratic primary. Anna currently serves as the Chief Deputy Clerk of Circuit Court and has been performing the duties of the Clerk of Circuit Court since the retirement of John Barrett on January 23. With over 29 years of experience in county and state government, Anna is ready to keep Milwaukee County’s justice system moving forward.
“As the next Clerk of Circuit Court, I will expand access to justice in our community and guide our court system through these challenging times,” said Anna. “Over the past two decades, I have worked tirelessly to make our courts as open and accessible as possible. I am ready to build on this progress and pursue cost-saving innovations that embrace community input and cutting-edge technology to help the public navigate the halls of justice. And we must keep our courts fully functional even in this unprecedented time of COVID-19 and the Great Resignation. As a proven executive, I have the experience, the qualifications, and the vision to enact change while keeping costs low and expanding collaboration with our partners in county government.”
Anna isn’t a politician: she is a respected court administrator with the experience to lead one of the largest court services agencies in Wisconsin. After serving in the offices of a Milwaukee County executive and Wisconsin governor, Anna joined Milwaukee County’s First Judicial District in 2000, where she coordinated criminal court operations, provided services to pro se litigants, and managed the county’s court interpreter program. She subsequently joined the office of the Clerk of Circuit Court as the Civil Division Administrator, an office she held from 2006 to 2018.
Since 2018, Anna has served as the Chief Deputy Clerk of Circuit Court. As chief operating officer for the Clerk of Circuit Court’s office, she supervises nearly 300 employees across five divisions and oversees a budget of approximately $42 million. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Anna has worked with partners in county government to bring Milwaukee County’s judicial operations back toward full functionality as safely and as quickly as possible.
Anna is the first woman of color to serve as Chief Deputy Clerk of Circuit Court and, if elected, would be the first woman of color to serve as Clerk of Circuit Court.
Anna will be an applicant for interim Clerk of Circuit Court – a position appointed by Milwaukee County’s 47 judges – and a candidate in the Democratic primary election for Clerk of Circuit Court, which will take place on Tuesday, August 9.
