Hon. Nancy Joseph is a United States magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. She earned her B.A. from Howard University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), her juris doctor from Rutgers University School of Law, and her Master’s of Judicial Studies from Duke University School of Law.
Judge Joseph was recently reappointed to her second term as magistrate judge. Prior to her initial appointment to the bench in 2010, Judge Joseph worked as a trial and appellate attorney with the Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin, Inc.
Judge Joseph serves on the U.S. Courts’ Magistrate Judges Advisory Committee and co-chairs the Federal Magistrate Judges Association’s Diversity Committee. Judge Joseph previously served on the ABA’s National Conference of Federal Trial Judges’ Executive Committee.
Judge Joseph has also been recognized with multiple awards for her community service, including the Wisconsin Business Journal’s Woman of Influence, the Association for Women Lawyers’ Mentoring Award, the Milwaukee Times Business Weekly’s Black Excellence Award, the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers’ Outstanding Member of The Year, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association’s Judge John W. Reynolds Community Building Award.
Judge Joseph is particularly active in outreach to youth. She is the founder of the Summer Youth Institute, a free intensive seven day program sponsored by Marquette Law School and the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association for middle and high school students interested in careers in law.