Civic Break: Bypassing the Veto—The Rise of Constitutional Amendments in Wisconsin as a Political Tool

WF Civic Breaks are short, accessible briefings designed to cut through the noise around timely civic and policy topics. Created to fit into a busy day, each session offers clear context and key takeaways for anyone who wants to stay informed and engaged in what’s shaping our community. Click here to learn more about WF Civic Breaks.

Registration required (see below). Free to attend. 

WF Civic Breaks offer the briefing; WF Laundry Nights offer the space to talk it through together. 

ABOUT MARGO KIRCHNER

Margo Kirchner is the executive director of Wisconsin Justice Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advocating to improve Wisconsin’s justice system and educating the public about justice-related issues. Informing litigants about how to navigate Wisconsin’s municipal courts, monitoring municipal courts, and advocating for municipal court improvements and defense counsel for litigants have all been important activities for WJI since its founding in 2015. Motivated by what she saw when she was monitoring municipal courts in 2018 and 2019 for WJI, Margo ran for municipal judge in the Village of Shorewood and won in the 2020 COVID election. Shorewood voters re-elected her in April 2024 to another four-year term.

Previously, Margo served for 23 years as a term or career law clerk in the federal Eastern District of Wisconsin trial court and clerked one year at the Seventh Circuit federal appellate court. 

Margo received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. She recently earned an MS in nonprofit management from UW-Milwaukee.​​

Margo serves state bar members as a representative on the Wisconsin Judicial Council. She is a former president of the Association for Women Lawyers and currently chairs the AWL Foundation.