Boyle ads chapter to family’s legal history: Former Burlington resident appointed circuit court judge

A local family’s long legacy in the legal profession gained another chapter recently when Gov. Scott Walker appointed Maureen Boyle to a Circuit Court judge’s seat in Baron County.

Boyle, a career prosecutor, will serve as a judge of Branch 3 following the retirement of Judge James Babbitt on Oct. 11. Her appointment was announced Nov. 1.

Maureen is the daughter of the late Dennis Boyle, whose Burlington law practice spanned more than 50 years, and the brother of Tim Boyle, who was elected Racine County Circuit Court judge in 2012.

“Maureen Boyle has earned an outstanding reputation as a prosecutor in Barron County,” Walker said in a press release issued by his office. “She is an experienced criminal lawyer who has handled hundreds of cases, and I know she’ll bring that same commitment to justice and the Constitution to the bench.”

In a letter of recommendation for Boyle, Barron County District Attorney Angela Beranek wrote, “As an (assistant district attorney), Ms. Boyle has handled an enormous caseload with competence and the highest level of professionalism. She has successfully prosecuted countless jury trials resulting in convictions in very difficult sexual assault, burglary, and domestic violence cases. She is organized, always prepared, and a pleasure to work with.”

Detective Mary Dexter of the Barron County Sheriff’s Department wrote, “I’ve observed a great number of district attorneys and assistant district attorneys in my almost 36-year career with the Barron County Sheriff’s Department and Maureen Boyle is absolutely one of the best. Ms. Boyle is well-versed and proficient in every type of case, from traffic to juvenile cases to the most serious types of case.”

Professor Ralph Cagle of the University of Wisconsin Law School said of Boyle, “She is well known as a very able trial lawyer, administrator, and practical-minded professional who carries out her responsibilities as a member of the justice system with great distinction.”

Boyle moved to Rice Lake in 2008 to serve as assistant district attorney in Barron County. She previously worked as an assistant district attorney in Walworth County and Rock County. Additionally, she was assistant director of the Resource Center on Impaired Driving at UW Law School from 1998 to 2001.

She has taught classes to prosecutors and police at the National Advocacy Center, the UW Law School, the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, and the Prosecutor’s Seminar on OWI.

Boyle earned a B.A. in journalism and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before going to law school, she was a research assistant for NBC Sports at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, a public relations manager for the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team, and a reporting intern at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.