Mary Triggiano

Mary E. Triggiano is the Director of the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice and Adjunct Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School. She teaches Restorative Justice and the Restorative Justice Clinical Program. From 2017-2020, Judge Triggiano, as an Adjunct Professor at Marquette Law School, co-taught Problem-Solving Courts, and the Neuroscience of Trauma. This workshop included teachings on restorative justice, trauma, and trauma-informed care.

Prior to joining the Law School, she was the Chief Judge for District 1 Circuit Court.  Governor Doyle appointed her to the bench in 2004. She was assigned first to the Children's Division from August 2004 to August 2009. It was there that she became interested in restorative justice, participating in Justice Geske’s restorative justice circles at Green Bay Correctional and helping to implement victim offender dialogues with youth charged with crimes in Milwaukee. She was next assigned to the Domestic Violence Court, later returning to Children’s Court where she led the Family Drug Treatment Court and created the first of its kind in Wisconsin Healthy Infant Court. Her last assignment was the Civil Division. She was a Deputy Chief Judge for Chief Judge Maxine White for over four years until becoming Chief Judge in February 2020.

Prior to becoming a judge, she served as managing attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin from 1994-2004. She also was an associate attorney in the litigation department at Reinhart. Boerner from 1988 to 1994.

She is a long-time member and past president of the Association for Women Lawyers. She also is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Bar Association, the Wisconsin Association of African American Lawyers, and the National Council on Juvenile & Family Court Judges.

As Chief Judge, she was a member of the Committee of Chief Judges. She taught at the Judicial College and served on the Judicial Education Committee. Judge Triggiano was also a board member of the Wisconsin Trial Judges Association and the Milwaukee Trial Judges Association. During her tenure as a judge, she sat on a variety of committees and boards, including the National Governor’s Association Conference on Child Well Being; Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board; Wisconsin Committee on Children, Families & Courts; and the Legislative Committee on Problem Solving Courts. She recently joined the board of the Neuroscience Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Over the past 30 years, she has taught numerous topics to the judiciary, attorneys, medical professionals, academia, students, and others. The topics included, but were not limited to:  Restorative Justice, Trauma-Informed Care, Childhood Trauma, Child Welfare Law, Problem-Solving Courts, Evidence-Based Sentencing Practices, View from the Bench, and Domestic Violence.

Mary Triggiano has received numerous awards over the years including, among others: the Association for Women Lawyers Mentoring Award, Community Involvement Award, Pro Bono Award, and Founders Award; St. Charles Exceeding Expectations Award; Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association/Legal Action Volunteer Lawyers Project Exceptional Leadership Award; Justinian Society of Lawyers Jurist of the Year Award;  Milwaukee Bar Association E. Michael McCann Distinguished Public Service Award; Wisconsin Association for Treatment Court Professional’s Aulik Award; MICAH To Do What Is Just Award; Governor’s Juvenile Justice Commission Certificate of Appreciation.