69����

Morse was appointed to Branch 4 of the Rock County Circuit Court in 2022 by Tony Evers and was elected to the position the following spring. She became the first woman of color to serve as a judge in Rock County.

In December Morse told the 69���� that her path to the bench was shaped by personal hardship and a commitment to fairness in the justice system.

She was raised primarily by a single mother, Morse has spoken publicly about growing up in a family that at times relied on local charity. Her biological father struggled with addiction and spent time in jail and prison before dying of an overdose in 2010, while her stepfather, a police officer, was killed in the line of duty. Morse has said those experiences gave her perspective on both victims and defendants in the justice system.

Morse was the first person in her family to attend college and law school, graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Before becoming a judge, Morse worked for the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office beginning in 2010 and later opened a Janesville law practice focused on representing indigent clients in criminal and civil proceedings. She also served on the Rock County Trauma Task Force, the Rock County Youth Justice Racial Disparities Committee and coached the Turner High School Mock Trial Team.

The award committee praised Morse for continuing diversity, equity and inclusion work while serving on the bench, including volunteering on committees focused on making judicial conferences and presentations more inclusive.

“This work has not been easy, but she never backed down on the promotion of these issues, because she understands that our judiciary must be equipped with the skills to address every litigant before them,” the committee said in a statement. “She is the very definition of a trailblazer.”

The Diversity & Inclusion Trailblazer Award recognizes individuals who contribute to and enhance diversity and inclusion efforts throughout Wisconsin’s legal profession.

The State Bar of Wisconsin represents more than 25,000 attorneys statewide and provides legal education, public service programs and support for Wisconsin’s court system.