Ismael ozanne biography

Who is Ismael Ozanne, Wisconsin’s prosecutor in Tony Robinson’s death?

Cable News Network (CNN)
2015-05-12

Michael Martinez, Newsdesk Editor & Writer

(CNN) Ismael Ozanne wiped a handkerchief across his forehead, nervously tapped a stack of papers on the podium and slowly cleared his throat.

It wasn’t the first time he’d made history; that happened in 2010 when he became Wisconsin’s first black district attorney.

Still, the Dane County district attorney seemed acutely aware of his role on the national stage Tuesday as the man who would decide whether an officer should be charged for the March 6 shooting death of an unarmed biracial man, 19-year-old Tony Robinson.

Eventually, Ozanne told reporters that he’d cleared Matt Kenny of the Madison Police Department, declaring that the officer’s gunfire was “a lawful use of deadly police force.”

But before he revealed his long-awaited decision Tuesday, the prosecutor also made it a point to talk about his past…

…Wisconsin’s first black DA

Ozanne became the first African-American district attorney in Wisconsin history in August 2010, when former Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, appointed him as Dane County district attorney.

Ozanne’s appointment filled a vacancy created when the prior DA was elected as a Court of Appeals judge…

…Ozanne’s grandfather, Robert Ozanne, was a high school teacher, a labor organizer, an author and a professor of economics at University of Wisconsin at Madison in the 1950s, according to Ismael Ozanne’s biography.

His parents are also teachers: His father taught at Tuskegee University in Alabama and in Madison public schools, and as of last year, his mother was still in the classroom, teaching reading at a middle school.

Ozanne describes himself as biracial.

“I’m a person of color from a biracial marriage. … I am the son of a black woman who still wo

CLICK to read more about how my DA’s Office has made important strides under my leadership

EXPERIENCED.  INNOVATIVE.  BALANCED.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne is a Democrat, prosecutor, father, and lifelong Madison resident.  Ozanne has dedicated his career to public service, working to make our communities safer.

AN EXPERIENCED LEADER

Ismael Ozanne is seeking re-election as our Dane County District Attorney.  He leads the second largest county, handling tens of thousands of cases per year.  Ismael and his office have prosecuted felony and misdemeanor cases including OWI, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, child neglect, and homicide.

Ismael Ozanne was hired by then Dane County District Attorney Diane Nicks in 1998.  He moved from that role in 2008 to help lead the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, which oversees community corrections and Wisconsin’s prison system.  As Deputy Secretary, under then Secretary Rick Raemisch, he had oversight of the Department’s $1.2 billion budget, 10,000 employees, and managed daily operations with over 90,000 individuals in prison and community supervision statewide.  During his time at DOC, he worked to reduce racial disparities by emphasizing sound correctional practices proven to reduce recidivism.  In 2010, he was appointed by Governor Jim Doyle to lead the Dane County District Attorney’s office.

Ismael Ozanne is the first African American District Attorney in Wisconsin’s history.

District Attorney Ozanne has served on numerous boards including the Dane County Criminal Justice Council, the Association of State Prosecutors and the Dane County Bar Pro Bono Trust Fund Board, the Madison Community Foundation Board and the Red Caboose Day Care Center board.

AN INNOVATIVE LEADER

In addition to ensuring individuals committing serious crimes in our community are held accountable, he also believes in being smart on crime.  He leads the

Dane County District Attorney, Ismael Ozanne is a Democrat, prosecutor, father and lifelong Madison resident. Ozanne has dedicated his career to public service, working to make our communities  safer.

Welcome to the official campaign website for Ismael Ozanne for District Attorney. I ran for re-election for District Attorney of Dane County, so that I could continue to uphold the law, protect the community, and stand up for victims. It is such an honor to serve as your elected Dane County District Attorney, and I am asking for your support.

Thank you! The results are in and I’m proud to have been chosen by the people of Dane County to represent you for another term. I plan to continue to focus on my achievements and my goals for the future of the Dane County District Attorney’s Office.  This is an important time for our country, our state and our county.  It is critical that we keep a positive, progressive agenda moving forward. To do my part, I intend, as your Dane County District Attorney, to:

– continue to advocate for resources and staffing of District Attorney Offices here in Dane County and across the state to reduce large caseloads and ensure fair and timely review of cases.

 – keep Madison one of the best places to live and retire by holding violent and dangerous offenders accountable for the crimes they commit.

 – to uphold and enforce the law, especially as it relates to transparency of our government entities under the Open Records Law.

 – To continue to support innovative treatment alternatives and diversion for individuals who are a low risk to re offend, such as problem-solving courts and the restorative justice initiative.

 -continue to educate the public on the negative effects of corporal punishment on children and broaden the concept of “No Hit Zones”.

 – continue to stand up to government officials who abuse the public trust, n

American judge (born 1958)

Brian Blanchard (born November 7, 1958) is an American attorney, judge, and Democratic politician. He currently serves as a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in Madison-based District IV.

Biography

Born in State College, Pennsylvania, Judge Brian W. Blanchard graduated from the University of Michigan with honors and from the Northwestern University School of Law, where he was Editor-In-Chief of the Northwestern Law Review. Blanchard is married to Mary Blanchard and has three children; Will, Ben, and Allison.

Career

Blanchard was an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago, Illinois, from 1990 to 1997. In 1997, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin and joined a private practice. He later became district attorney of Dane County, Wisconsin, and served in that position from 2001 until his election to the Court of Appeals in 2010.

Electoral history

References